December 19, 2014
SINGAPORE (AFP) - Singapore-based aircraft leasing firm BOC Aviation has finalised an order for two more Boeing 737 jets, adding to the 80 it placed orders for earlier this year to meet booming Asian travel, the two firms said Friday.
The two Boeing 737-800 jets are valued at $186 million in total based on 2014 catalogue prices, Boeing and BOC Aviation, owned by the Bank of China, said in a joint statement.
"Building on our order of 80 737 aircraft earlier this year, these two additional Next-Generation 737s enable us to respond to demand from airline customers which are expanding or replacing older fleets," Robert Martin, BOC Aviation's managing director and chief executive said in the statement.
The massive order in August, described by Boeing as the largest in BOC Aviation's 20-year history, comprised 50 B737 MAX 8 planes and 30 next-generation B737-800s worth $8.14 billion at list prices.
The Singapore-based firm at the time also placed orders for two B777-300ER aircraft, worth a total $660 million at catalogue prices.
As of September 30, BOC Aviation owns or manages a fleet of 246 aircraft, including 110 Boeing planes.
Boeing has projected a travel boom in the Asia Pacific region over the next 20 years from 2013, fuelled by a rising middle class and strong regional economic growth.
"As income levels rise, Asia Pacific is set to become the largest air travel market in the world. In 2033, approximately 48 percent of global traffic will be to, from, or within the region," Boeing said in its latest regional forecast.
