Boeing has reached a major milestone with GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) by delivering the leasing company’s 400th Boeing commercial jet, a 737-800.
GECAS leasing customer Xiamen Airlines will operate the milestone aircraft, which Boeing delivered to GECAS on July 20, 2011.
This Boeing 737-800 is the 400th Boeing jet delivered to aircraft-leasing giant GE Capital Aviation Services. GECAS took delivery of the aircraft on July 20, 2011 and is leasing the 737-800 to Chinese carrier Xiamen Airlines
“We are proud to take delivery of our 400th Boeing airplane,” said Norman Liu, president and CEO of GECAS, which is the commercial-aircraft leasing and financing arm of General Electric and is the biggest aircraft-leasing company in the world. “Boeing is a key business partner providing us with advanced, efficient and reliable airplanes that our airline customers need to be successful in today’s competitive and environmentally sensitive marketplace.”
To date, GECAS has ordered 485 jets from Boeing. GECAS placed its first order with Boeing on August 30, 1995, a deal for two Boeing 767-300ERs. Since that first order, the leasing giant’s fleet has grown to include various models of the 737, 747, 757, 767 and 777 families.
“The milestone delivery is a tribute to the GECAS business model and the strength of the Boeing family of airplanes,” said Marlin Dailey, vice president of sales & marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “GECAS has an outstanding track record of placing Boeing airplanes with airline customers around the world. The Boeing family of airplanes offers a strong combination of economics and reliability that will continue to provide GECAS’s customers a competitive advantage. We look forward to continuing this strong partnership for years to come.”
