All Nippon Airways Co. said Monday it has placed orders Saturday with Boeing Co. of the United States for 45 142-seat Boeing 737-700s.
ANA said it plans to replace its current narrow-body fleet of 53 aircraft -- 26 Airbus A320s, two Boeing 737-400s and 25 Boeing 737-500s -- by buying seven Boeing 737-700s in 2005 and seven more each year through 2010.
Japan's second-largest airline has not revealed the purchase price, but the list price is around 270 billion yen for the total purchase. The actual price may be lower because of the large order.
ANA said it hopes the move will cut its yearly operating costs, including maintenance costs, by about 6 billion yen.
The European Union had expressed dissatisfaction about the exclusion of Airbus aircraft.