On December 5, 1960 Boeing announced the production of its 727, the first commercial three engine jet. United and Eastern Airlines immediately placed orders for 40 apiece, the first of which (727-100s) entered service in 1964. Its unprecedented low-speed landing and takeoff performance along with its luxuriously wide fuselage would make the 727 by far the most popular aircraft in the world through the first 35 years of jet transportation. In 1967 the 727-200 was introduced with a 20-foot-longer fuselage which could accommodate up to 189 passengers. Over the years the 727-200 was continually modified and by January 1983 orders had reached 1,831, all of which were delivered to 101 different customers. As of June 30, 1996, more than 1,521 of these were still in service and by July 1991, these planes had carried almost 3.7 billion passengers. On January 13, 1991, the first 727 built (delivered on Oct. 6 1964) was retired after almost 33 years of continual service with United Airlines.