GECAS

Commercial aircraft leasing and financing unit GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) has placed an approximately $3.9bn order for 40 Boeing 737 aircraft.

The order, booked in 2013, comprises 20 737 MAX 8 and 20 next-generation 737-800 jets.

GECAS president and chief executive officer Norman Liu said that demand continues to grow as airline customers require more fuel-efficient aircraft to compete in the marketplace.

"This order further strengthens the large GECAS order book," Liu added.

The follow-on order increases the GECAS 737 MAXs order to 95 aircraft and the Next-Generation 737 to 387 aircraft.

The 737-800 belongs to the Boeing Next-Generation 737 family that comprises technologically advanced single-aisle jets.

Boeing’s 737 MAX is equipped with CFM International LEAP-1B engines to deliver enhanced efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes Global Sales senior vice president John Wojick said: "The 737 MAX will provide GECAS’s airline customers with the best-in-class operating efficiencies and passenger amenities."

The latest announcement brings the total number aircraft that GECAS ordered from Boeing to 638, including 737s, 747s, 757s, 767s, 777s and 787s. To date, the GE arm has received of 459 of the aircraft.

Image: The order comprises 20 737 MAX 8 and 20 Next-Generation 737-800 jets. Photo: courtesy of The Boeing Company.

Defence Technology