Air China (Beijing) yesterday (February 1) became the first Chinese airline to take delivery of the first Boeing 737-800 (737-89L B-5447, msn 40015) with the new Sky Interior. With this new addition in its fleet, Air China has become the first Chinese airline to operate the 737-800 with the new Boeing Sky Interior, offering passengers an enhanced onboard experience with larger stowage bins and sculpted sidewalls, a LED lighting system with cove lighting and curved architecture and more intuitive passenger service units.

Boeing Sky Interior is the latest in a series of improvements to the Next-Generation 737. The next to come will be a package of performance improvements that will reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 2 percent – making the airplane a full 7 percent more efficient than the first Next-Generation 737s delivered. The performance improvements to the airframe and engine are in certification test, and will be phased into production between mid-2011 and early 2012.

To date, 60 customers have ordered the new interior for 1,689 airplanes.