JINAN: China's Shandong Airlines signed a contract Monday with U.S.-based Boeing Company to buy 15 Boeing 737-800 passenger aircrafts with a catalogue price of about 1.35 billion U.S. dollars.

The airliners would be delivered to Shandong Airlines over the next five years, said Zhang Xingfu, chairman of the company, based in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong province.

Shandong Airlines aims to increase its fleet to 100 over the next five years, Zhang said.

Shandong Airlines already operates 48 passenger aircrafts on about 110 domestic and international air routes.

"The new aircraft will help Shandong Airlines become a leading local airline, a major domestic airline and an influential international airline," Zhang said.

The 737-800 was a major seller for Boeing, and the company had raised the monthly output from 31 to 38 to meet market demand, said Jim Simon, vice president of sales for China.

With the rapid development of China's aviation market, Boeing aimed to sell 400 to 500 aircrafts in the country in the next five years, he said.

The number of aircrafts sold in China was expected to exceed 1,300 in the next 20 years, he said.

Editor: Li Jing

Source: Xinhua