30 Firm Orders, With 30 Options
The Boeing Company and
GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) announced Wednesday an
order for 30 firm and 30 option Boeing Next-Generation 737s worth
approximately $4 billion at list prices. Included in this agreement
is the first 737-900ER order by an aircraft leasing company.
GECAS will take delivery of the 30 firm airplanes from 2008
through 2010.
Today’s announcement brings to 68 the number of 737s GECAS
has ordered during the past two years. In 2005, GECAS ordered 26
737s, and was identified as the customer for 12 737s ordered in
2004.
The announcement brings total orders of Boeing jetliners from
GECAS to 333 within the last decade.
"We currently have more than 200 Boeing Next-Generation 737
aircraft in our fleet, leased to more than 30 different airline
customers around the world," said Henry Hubschman, president and
CEO of GECAS. "It is a very popular aircraft model and we quickly
leased all of the planes we ordered last year, so we needed more to
satisfy our customers’ demand."
In 2006, Boeing is delivering 30 737s to GECAS and its customer
airlines. This spring, Boeing will deliver the aircraft leasing
service's 150th Next-Generation 737.
"GECAS continues to demonstrate the great popularity of the 737
in the industry and is among our top Next-Generation 737
customers," said John Feren, vice president of Leasing & Asset
Management for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
"We are especially pleased that GECAS has chosen the -900ER, the
latest addition to the 737 family," Feren added. "We also
appreciate that GECAS has also been instrumental in the
introduction of the 737 to new customers throughout the world."
Boeing bills the Next-Generation 737 airplane family the most
technologically advanced single-aisle jet family on the market
today. As of February 28, 96 customers have placed orders for more
than 3,020 Next-Generation 737s; the program has more than 1,150
unfilled orders with a value of more than $73 billion at current
list prices.
The 737-900ER is the newest member of the Next-Generation 737
family and seats up to 215 passengers in a single-class
configuration, compared with the 189-passenger maximum for the
737-800. Boeing will deliver the first 737-900ER in the first half
of 2007. In addition to being nearly nine feet longer than the
737-800, the 737-900ER also features an added pair of exit doors
and a flat rear pressure bulkhead.