HAL gets Israeli order for more Boeing cargo doors

Bengaluru, Feb 18 (IANS) State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) received a fresh order from the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) to supply eight sets of cargo doors for the main deck of Boeing 737, said an official of the defence behemoth on Saturday.

"The IAI has signed a fresh contract with us to supply eight more sets of the main deck cargo door for Boeing 737 jets," the official told IANS on the sidelines of the biennial Aero India 2017 expo here.

The city-based defence aerospace major has already supplied 30 similar doors to IAI.

"The IAI has placed the additional order in view of our quality and timely delivery of the earlier order," added the official.

The company has been making doors for the single aisle A320 aircraft of the global aerospace major Airbus Industries since 2009.

"The IAI’s new order reflects the confidence reposed by our valued Israeli customer," asserted HAL Chairman T. Suvarna Raju in a statement on the occasion.

The company, however, did not disclose the value of the new or the previous orders and delivery schedule of the fresh one.

As the leading maker of military and passenger aircraft, Boeing has sold about 6,500 jets in the 737-200C series worldwide.

"The Boeing 737 aircraft has the capacity to carry 21,500 pounds of cargo and 112 passengers," said the US-based aerospace major.

The Tel Aviv-based IAI is leading supplier of subsystems and components to Boeing.