Employees at the Boeing factory in Renton, Wash., load wing spar parts for the first Boeing Next-Generation 737-900 into the state-of-the-art automated spar assembly tool. Assembly of the spar, an internal support structure for the wing, marks the start of major manufacturing of the airplane. Launch customer Alaska Airlines is scheduled to take delivery of its first 737-900, the latest model in the Next-Generation 737 family, in April 2001. Continental Airlines, Korean Air Lines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines also have ordered the airplane.

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