Boeing, which is the second largest manufacturer of aircraft, after the French Airbus, sells its planes in the region mostly to the Brazilian companies TAM and Gol, the merged Colombian-Salvadoran Avianca-Taca, the Mexican Aeroméxico, and of course also the Panamanian Copa Airlines.

One of their products that largely drove sales in 2012 was the model 737 Max, that arrived to replace the 737 NG.

This fourth generation of the 737 has three variants, with prices ranging from $82 million to $107 million.

The Brazilian Gol will restock its fleet with 60 of these planes, which will pull into their hangars starting in 2017.

“We had a very successful year in 2012. We had big sales in Latin America with Gol and Aeromexico,” commented Van Rex Gallard, vice president of sales for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean at Boeing.

Regarding trade with the region, Gallard emphasized that the region “represents 7% of the world market.”

“In 2012 we sold 1,000 planes worldwide and in Latin America we will close the year with around 200 units sold,” indicated the executive, who recently participated in the ALTA Airline Leaders Forum 2012, held last week in Panama.

Gallard claims that the region “is no longer third world” but “part of the first world”, and its dynamism has made it become a very relevant market.

As of September this year, operating results were up 11% from 2011, a year when they received $68,735,000,000 in revenue and had a net profit of $4,018,000,000.

Looking ahead to 2013, Gallard foresees that they will sell approximately 600 units, 50 destined for Latin American companies.

A dream plane

According to Gallard, the 787 Dreamliner model “is the latest fashion in aviation”. This long-range aircraft, which costs $200 million per unit, quickly caught the attention of airlines across the world. Just in 2012, Boeing sold 850 units, and has already begun deliveries that will continue until 2020.

The 787 Dreamliner has become the most sought-after plane in the history of the aviation industry.

By the end of 2007, Boeing had received 550 orders from airlines around the world. In Latin America, TAM ordered 32 units, Avianca-Taca requested 12 and Aeromexico will purchase 20 once negotiations are finalized.

Sales in the region

200

units will be sold by Boeing to Latin America by year's end, of the thousand on order worldwide.

7%

of the world market is represented by the region.

50

planes are planned to be sold by Boeing in 2013, of the 600 in the world market.