OREANDA-NEWS. August 07, 2014. Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced China Eastern Airlines and its subsidiaries Shanghai Airlines and China United Airlines are implementing Boeing Airplane Health Management (AHM) to improve maintenance and engineering operations efficiency across China Eastern's rapidly growing fleets.

Boeing and China Eastern teams have deployed the Boeing Airplane Health Management system on 157 Next-Generation 737 airplanes. The contract extends to eventually cover AHM deployment for a total of 250 737s. Additionally, 20 777-300ER (Extended Range) airplanes on order by China Eastern will also use Boeing AHM.

Boeing Airplane Health Management is currently used by more than 70 airline fleets worldwide to collect and evaluate airplane operations data while the airplane is in flight. Designed to interface with existing airplane systems and communication infrastructure, the AHM system captures real-time data and notifies ground crews of any potential maintenance issues before the airplane lands, minimizing schedule disruptions and maintenance delays, resulting in significant efficiencies and cost savings for airlines.

Airplane Health Management is part of an integrated suite of aviation services marketed as the Boeing Edge. These include parts, training, engineering, maintenance and software solutions that increase the efficiency and profitability of airlines and leasing companies.

"We are pleased to support China Eastern as they continue to grow and respond to the increasing demand for air travel in China," said Per Noren, Boeing Digital Aviation vice president of Customer Solutions. "Our technical teams are dedicated to work side by side with the China Eastern maintenance and engineering teams to ensure we are leveraging the maximum benefit that Airplane Health Management can provide to improve operations efficiency."

China Eastern currently operates the largest 737 fleet among Chinese airlines, and is continuing to expand its fleet.  In June, China Eastern committed to order 80 737s, including Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX airplanes. The order represents the largest purchase ever by an airline in China for single-aisle airplanes.