In a bid to meet demand from the airlines for modern, fuel-efficient and sustainable aircrafts, the aircraft leasing company, Air Lease Corporation, has announced it will add 32 additional 737-8 and 737-9 jets to its fleet.
Ihssane Mounir, Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales & Marketing, said, 'The addition of more 737 MAXs, including 737-8s and 737-9s, will enable ALC to respond to accelerating market demand as air travel continues to recover.'
In February the lessor added 18 737 MAXs to its portfolio. With the new order, ALC has 130 737 MAXs in its backlog, the company confirmed.
John L. Plueger, Chief Executive Officer and President of Air Lease Corporation, said, “'Following our memorandum of understanding with Boeing in February for these 32 737 MAX aircraft, we are pleased to announce the signing of this definitive purchase agreement. We believe that the economic and operating advantages of the 737 MAX will serve our airline customers well as they favor modern, fuel efficient aircraft.”
With commonality and improved fuel efficiency, the 737 MAX family enables airlines to optimize their fleets across a broad range of missions while reducing fuel use and carbon emissions by at least 20% compared to the airplanes they replace, a communication from the lessor stated.
Additionally, the 737 Max aircraft will allow ALC customers to choose airplanes that are optimized to suit multiple markets based on range and size while offering commonality for pilots and crew.
'The 737 MAX family has already proved its value within ALC's narrowbody portfolio, providing operators with excellent fuel efficiency and flexibility across different networks,' Mounir added.
The 737 Max aircraft was first introduced in 2017 with the first customer being Malindo Air. Powered by twin LEAP-1B engines from CFM International, the aircraft is available in four variants including the 737 Max 7, 737 Max 8, 737 Max 9 and the 737 Max 10.