China Southern Airlines said it has signed a deal worth US$1.842 billion with U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing.

Under the deal signed Tuesday, the Guangzhou-based airline will buy six Boeing 777 freight planes, which will be delivered between November 2008 and July 2010, Wednesday's Beijing News reported..

China Southern also announced that it had approved a contract by which Boeing will supply its subsidiary Xiamen Airlines with six Boeing 737-800 passenger planes, starting in 2010.

The new planes will increase Xiamen Airlines' passenger transport capacity by 2.4 percent and China Southern Airlines freight capacity by 25.7 percent, the report said.

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2006)