SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. leading aircraft manufacturer Boeing Company said Wednesday that Oman Air has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets, one of 30 aircraft to be operated by the West Asia country.
"The aircraft will be a perfect complement to our 737 family as we continue to expand our operations and play an increasingly active role in promoting Oman for business as well as a unique tourism destination, which is growing rapidly in popularity with every passing year," said Abdulaziz Al-Raisi, acting CEO of Oman Air, the flag carrier of the Sultanate of Oman.
"The 737 MAX is a family of airplanes that offers the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market," Boeing said in a statement on Wednesday.
The 737 MAX 8 model delivered to Oman is configured with 162 seats in two classes, with 12 in business and 150 in economy.
Oman Air ordered 20 MAX airplanes from Boeing in October 2015 and has since entered into a lease agreement for 10 more of the jets. The new airplanes will grow the Muscat-based Oman Air's fleet of 27 737s and seven 787 Dreamliners.
Boeing said the 737 MAX family is the fastest-selling airplane in its history, accumulating more than 4,300 orders to date from 92 customers worldwide. In the Middle East, Boeing currently has a backlog of over 300 737 MAXs with four airlines.
Boeing delivered a record 763 jets to its customers across the world in 2017, earned about 93.4 billion U.S. dollars in revenues for the full year throughout 2017.