Boeing (Chicago, Seattle and Charleston) on Saturday (November 22) handed over the first direct purchase 737-700 to Ruili Airlines (Kunming), the pictured 737-7ME B-5829 (msn 60460). The new airliner departed Boeing Field in Seattle on the same day for its long journey to Kunming, China. Today, Boeing issued this announcement on the arrival in Kunming:

Boeing and Ruili Airlines today (November 25) celebrated the arrival of the airline’s first direct purchase Next-Generation 737-700. Ruili is a newly established private airline based at Changshui International Airport in Kunming, the capital city of China’s Yunnan province.

The new airplane is the first of 14 737 orders and commitments from Ruili Airlines, including eight 737-700s and six 737 MAXs. The carrier currently operates two 737-700s and one 737-800 serving seven domestic routes in China.

Ruili Airlines obtained its public air transport enterprise business license from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in February 2014, marking the formal establishment of the carrier. The start-up airline is the first private carrier approved by CAAC after the regulator relaxed restrictions on new carriers in 2013. According to its development plan, Ruili Airlines plans to increase its fleet to 30 Boeing airplanes by 2020, with around 120 daily flights on 60 to 70 routes.

Copyright Photo: Steve Bailey/www.vrefphotos.com/AirlinersGallery.com. A beautiful capture of the new B-5829 at Boeing Field in Seattle.