Aircraft lessor Avolon has finalised an order for 140 Boeing 737-10s, the largest 737 MAX order ever placed by a lessor, taking its backlog of the type to more than 240 aircraft, Boeing said on November 4.
Lessors have placed firm orders for more than 230 737-10s this year, five times the lessor backlog for the largest 737 MAX variant at the end of 2025, according to the manufacturer. The 737-10 seats up to 230 passengers and has a range of 3,100 nautical miles (5,740km).
“The 737-10 combines outstanding economics with the capacity airlines increasingly require, making it one of the most attractive aircraft in its class,” said Avolon CEO Andy Cronin, adding that the deal would support “airline growth and fleet renewal well into the next decade”.
Brad McMullen, Boeing’s senior vice president of commercial sales and marketing, said the jets would let Avolon’s airline customers cut emissions and operating costs and improve route economics.
Lessors account for more than 1,450 737 MAX orders, about 20% of Boeing’s backlog, and the 737 makes up about 30% of all financed airliners, Boeing said. The manufacturer expects passenger traffic to grow by 4% a year over the next 20 years.
Lessor capital is a key route to new narrowbodies for carriers in emerging markets, where airlines such as Tajikistan’s Somon Air have recently taken their first 737 MAX jets. Rival Airbus has about 323 aircraft to hand over in the fourth quarter to meet its 2026 delivery target.
Avolon, headquartered in Dublin, is an aviation finance company working with 138 airlines in 62 countries, with an owned, managed and committed fleet of 1,092 aircraft as of September 30.
