CAIRO, Jul 13 (Aswat Masriya) – EgyptAir announced at the 2016 Farnborough International Airshow on Wednesday an order for nine Boeing 737-800s in a deal valued at $864 million.

The UAE-based aircraft lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise will finance eight of the airplanes, according to a statement by EgyptAir.

The announcement, which was revealed at the Farnborough Airshow currently held in the UK, coincides with 50 years of partnership between Boeing and the Egyptian airline, the statement added.

"Over the years, Boeing has played an important role in our growth plan," Chairman and CEO of EgyptAir Holding Company Safwat Musallam told Boeing website.

"The Next-Generation 737-800s have earned an excellent reputation for reliability, performance and cost efficiency and has added tremendous value to our operations.

"The addition of several more of this airplane will definitely enable us to continue with our plans to introduce modern, efficient aircraft on our short to medium haul destination network. We are pleased to be working with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise to finance eight of these airplanes," he added.

EgyptAir already operates 20 737-800NGs as part of its aircraft fleet. The airline also has six 777-300ERs and two 777-200ERs. 

The Cairo-based carrier aims to expand their fleet to 105 airplanes by the end of the 2020/21 fiscal year.

"This order is an endorsement of EgyptAir's confidence in the 737 and we hope to continue our long-time partnership with the airline as it further grows and strengthens its operations," Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of sales for the Middle East, Russia and Central Asia Marty Bentrott said.