The Biggest Plane Buyer You’ve Never Flown With Just Ordered 250 More

Most passengers never think about who actually owns the airplane they are sitting in, and for a huge share of the world’s jets the answer is a leasing company. Avolon, one of the largest, has just placed firm orders for 250 new-technology aircraft, split between Boeing and Airbus.

The Boeing portion is 140 737 MAX jets. Airbus gets 110 aircraft: 75 from the A320neo family and 35 from the A330neo family. Avolon also holds options on 100 more Airbus aircraft, which would push the total well beyond this week’s headline figure.

The order lifts Avolon’s firm commitments to 749 aircraft, though the deal is subject to approval by shareholders of its parent, Bohai Leasing. At the end of the third quarter its owned, managed and committed fleet stood at 1,092 aircraft, or 1,342 once the new orders are counted, and it serves 138 airlines in 62 countries.

For travelers, the practical meaning is supply. Avolon says 89 percent of its committed fleet is already placed with airlines for the next 24 months, and its chief executive says demand for newer, more efficient jets remains strong. More leased aircraft in the pipeline is one of the ways airlines add seats without buying planes outright.

Sources: Travel Extra, FlyingInIreland