BOC Aviation expands fleet with 120 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft orders, BA

Singapore-based aircraft leasing firm BOC Aviation said Monday it had ordered 120 single-aisle planes from Airbus and Boeing to boost its expansion plans. The company said in a statement it ordered 70 A320NEO aircraft from Eurpope’s Airbus and 50 737-8s from US rival Boeing. The Airbus planes are scheduled for delivery ‘through to 2032 and include conversion rights to other variants of the A320NEO family’, BOC Aviation said.

Delivery of the Boeing jets is set ‘through to 2031’ and also includes conversion rights to other variants of the B737 family. No prices were revealed.

‘This transaction will lift our remaining Airbus orderbook to around 200 aircraft and takes our total Airbus aircraft deliveries to over 700 since our first order in 1996,’ BOC chief executive and managing director Steven Townend said.

‘This order solidifies our position as one of the top five global aircraft operating lessors and provides us with a strong delivery pipeline into the next decade.’

Benoit de Saint-Exupery, executive vice president for sales at Airbus’ commercial aircraft business, described the deal as ‘significant investment’ by BOC and ‘highlights the strong and continued market demand for our fuel-efficient aircraft and their long-term value’.

The Boeing deal raised BOC’s commitments ‘to purchase over 140 of these aircraft, which is the largest Boeing orderbook position in our history’, Townend said.

Brad McMullen, Boeing senior vice president of commercial sales and marketing, said the order ‘demonstrates the confidence lessors have in this airplane to meet continued air travel demand and improve fuel efficiency’.

BOC has a portfolio of more than 800 planes and engines owned, managed and on order and as of the end of last year, its fleet was leased to 92 airlines in 48 countries worldwide. The firm’s Hong Kong-listed shares edged down 0.2 per cent in morning trade.