On May 23, Boeing Business Jets and Ocean Sky Aviation announced an order for a BBJ. Based in London, Ocean Sky is Europe's fastest growing private jet charter company.

The new order, worth US$51 million at list price, brings the total number of Boeing business jets sold this year to nine. Earlier, Boeing Business Jets announced it had won new orders for six BBJs and two 787 VIP airplanes.

"I'm very excited about this order. With the BBJ we will be offering the world's most popular aircraft type to complete our range of aircraft from midsize, ultra-long range to super luxury jet," said Kurosh Tehranchian, chief executive officer of Ocean Sky.

The BBJ is the first Boeing business jet for the premier private jet charter company, and will be used to fly Ocean Sky's select clientele to a wide range of worldwide destinations. Premium charter companies represent approximately 10 percent of the Boeing Business Jets customer base.

"We are convinced that the BBJ is the right tool to help Ocean Sky grow its business. The BBJ provides the ultimate in space and luxurious comfort and will undoubtedly delight Ocean Sky customers," said Boeing Business Jets President Steven Hill during a contract signing ceremony held in Geneva on May 22.

The BBJ is a high-performance derivative of the Next-Generation 737-700 that offers 93.27 square meters (807 square feet) of cabin space. Designed for VIP, government head-of-state and charter applications, the BBJ combines the size of the 737-700 fuselage (110 feet 4 inches, 33.6 meters) with the strengthened wings and landing gear from the larger 737-800. The tailored combination provides owners with a business jet platform having maximum range capability of 6,200 nautical miles (11,482 kilometers) while requiring less than 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) of runway.

Boeing Business Jets offers a wide variety of ultra-large cabin, long-range airplanes perfectly suited for the private jet market. The product line includes the BBJ, BBJ 2 and BBJ 3 airplane family, and Boeing widebody VIP airplanes, including the 787, 747-8, 777 and 767. Nearly 300 Boeing airplanes are in service in the VIP market.

Photograph: Pictured here from left: Ocean Sky Aviation Sales & Marketing Director Niki Rokni, Boeing Business Jets President Steven Hill and Ocean Sky CEO Kurosh Tehranchian sign the sales contract on board a BBJ on static display at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Geneva.