FARNBOROUGH, July 16, 2008 (AFP) - US aircraft giant Boeing said Wednesday it had received an order from Malaysia Airlines for 35 medium-range 737-800s, with a value of more than 2.6 billion dollars.

Boeing said at the Farnborough Air Show that the order was already noted on its website but that the identity of the carrier involved had not previously been revealed.

Delivery of the aircraft will start in September 2010, the Malaysian national carrier's chief financial officer Tengku Azmil Zahruddin told a press conference.

'This new fleet of next-generation 737-800s will replace our existing 737-400 fleet, allowing Malaysia Airlines to expand ... and will create a strong platform for the airline to profitably grow,' he said in a company statement.

As well as the firm order, the airline also took options to buy 20 more planes of the same model.

The new contract brings the number of Boeing 737s, its mainstay plane, ordered since it was launched to more than 8,000.

The single-aisle 737-800 can carry between 162-189 passengers, depending on seat configuration.

Malaysia Airlines, which was founded some 60 years ago, already has 737s as well as long-haul 777s and 747 jumbos in its fleet.