The Once and Future MAX

Aviation Capital Group LLC (ACG)—the California-based, global, full-service aircraft lessor—has announced it is growing its Boeing 737 MAX portfolio with an order for 12 additional 737 MAX-8 aircraft. ACG asserts the new, narrowbody airliners will help the company meet global airlines’ acute, post-COVID demand for modern, fuel-efficient aircraft.  

The order, announced at the Farnborough International Airshow, will see ACG expand its 737 MAX order book to 34 airplanes, building upon a May 2022 order for nine 737-MAX-8s. With more than 1,000 gross orders across all variants, Boeing—in a dramatic and no doubt welcome reversal of fortune—is seeing strong market demand for its 737 MAX family

ACG Executive Chair Mahoko Hara said of the deal: “This latest incremental 737 MAX order allows ACG to offer highly fuel-efficient airplanes to our airline customers around the world. These additional 737 MAX aircraft will help position ACG’s order book for a recovery in air traffic coming out of the pandemic.”

The 737-8 is a member of the 737 MAX family, which is designed to offer more fuel efficiency, reliability, and flexibility in the single-aisle airliner market. The aircraft, which competes directly with Airbus’s A320 and A321 airliners, is capable of flying 3,550 nautical miles—about six-hundred-miles farther than its predecessor. The 737 MAX-8’s excellent range is facilitated in part by the fact it uses twenty-percent less fuel than legacy 737 models—a feature that allows airlines to offer travelers new and more direct routes to a wider variety of destinations while reducing emissions and operating costs.

Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing Ihssane Mounir states: “The 737 MAX family strengthens ACG’s narrowbody portfolio, providing operators with excellent fuel efficiency and flexibility across different networks. Topping up with additional 737-8s positions ACG well to respond to growing airline demand. We look forward to more opportunities to expand our relationship to support ACG and their customers.”

Aviation Capital Group’s fleet numbers over 450 owned, managed, and committed aircraft which the company leases to approximately 85 airlines in approximately 45 countries.

FMI: www.boeing.com