Xiamen Airlines is planning to buy 60 Boeing 737-800 passenger aircraft by 2013, according to China News Service.

In accordance with its development plan, the company, based in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province, will import 35 Boeing 737-800s by 2010, the news service reported, quoting an unidentified corporate insider.

The airline has been negotiating with Boeing on the purchase of 25 more 737-800s from 2011 to 2013, said the sources.

The airline was planning to expand as a result of rising demand caused by faster economic development, and more exchanges and cooperation activities between Xiamen and Taiwan.

Xiamen Airlines, with a fleet of 43 aircraft, including nine Boeing 737-800s which can each sit 170 passengers, operates 140 domestic and overseas air routes and handles seven million passengers a year, according to its website.

Source: Xinhua