British Caledonian Orders 9 Douglas Wide Body Jets

British Caledonian Airways today ordered nine of McDonnell Douglas Corp.’s yet-undeveloped MD-11 wide body jetliners--a $1-billion order making virtually certain that McDonnell Douglas will commit itself to putting the new aircraft into production at its Douglas Aircraft unit in Long Beach.

British Caledonian officials said they expect the McDonnell Douglas board of directors to make a decision on whether to launch the new aircraft “very soon.”

The MD-11 is a derivative of the DC-10, featuring new-generation jet engines, a redesigned wing, an updated cockpit and an 18.6-foot longer fuselage to carry more passengers. It is expected to cost $250 million to $300 million to develop, according to industry sources.

Douglas will significantly expand its work force if its puts the MD-11 into production. The firm currently has 4,000 workers assigned to the DC-10 program and would need an additional 6,000 workers to produce the MD-11, a company spokeswoman said.

The company is already poised for a dramatic expansion in the next several years, as the result of its C-17 Air Force cargo jet program and T-45 Navy trainer jet programs. The company will add 2,000 workers on the C-17 next year and 3,000 in 1988.

The McDonnell Douglas board has set a requirement that firm orders for 20 MD-11s be obtained before the program would be launched.

Several airlines that have waffled for months because they did not want to be the first to place orders may quickly fall in line with orders, industry sources said today. Douglas has letters of intent for MD-11s from two other undisclosed airlines. The letters, however, still leave Douglas short of the requirement for 20 aircraft, a spokesman said.