An Irish aircraft leasing company was the latest firm to jump on Boeing’s briskly moving 737 Max bandwagon Wednesday, with commitments for as many as 20 of the latest generation of the popular airliner.
Avolon, a Dublin-based lessor, announced at the Farnborough International Air Show in England that it has signed commitments for 10 737 Max 8s and five 737 Max 9s. The company also took reconfirmation rights for five more 737 Max aircraft.
Avolon also made commitments for 10 737-800 aircraft. The 737-800 is one of several 737 models Boeing is producing at its Renton plant.
The 737 Max aircraft are the next upgrade Boeing is planning for the venerable plane, the world’s best-selling jetliner with more than 10,000 sold, on order or under commitment. The Max will include upgraded engines and aerodynamic improvements to boost fuel economy by 13 percent over the present 737 aircraft. The first production 737 Max is due to be delivered to a commercial customer in 2017. Boeing has seen announced commitments for the Max, including Avolon’s at the air show, reach 190 this week.
In other order news Wednesday, Boeing rival Airbus announced commitments for 36 A320 jets from Chinese lessor CALC. Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire has been building a close relationship with Airbus, and said Wednesday she was ready to recruit the company to build a new manufacturing site in the state.
Gregoire said she first had conversations with Airbus a year ago and indicated the state was willing to work with the European manufacturer if it wanted to pursue a new plant in Washington. She said the talks were held with the blessing of Boeing, which is one of Washington’s top employers. Gregoire congratulated Boeing on the success at the Farnborough Air Show.
“I think this is Boeing’s air show,” she said.
Staff writer John Gillie contributed to this report.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.