Four Boeing 737-NG aircraft are to be purchased by China Eastern Airlines Corp for approximately USD228m, the Shanghai-based airline revealed on Wednesday (21 December).

The agreement was reportedly signed by the airline on Tuesday (20 December) in Shanghai.

The purchase is to be financed by bank loans, and according to Reuters this will raise the carrier’s debt ratio temporarily but will have no impact on its cash flows and overall operations.

According to the airline, the new aircraft are scheduled for delivery from August 2007 to October 2008 and they will be used by China Eastern to support short-distance domestic flights.