Another billion for Boeing

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(GECAS) have announced the lessor's purchase of 20 Boeing Next-Generation 737s worth $1.1 billion at list prices.

GECAS, the commercial aircraft financing and leasing business of General Electric, also revealed itself as the customer for 12 Boeing 737s ordered last year that were attributed to an unidentified customer. These 12 aeroplanes will be delivered starting late this year and throughout 2006. All 12 have been placed with airlines.

The 32 aeroplanes on firm order, in conjunction with six 737s ordered last month for lease to Sky Europe, bring to 38 the firm commitments GECAS has made to the 737 family in the last year.

The 20 new aeroplanes are scheduled for delivery from 2006 into 2008. Six of these aeroplanes have already been placed with airlines.

"The Next-Generation 737 is popular among the world's airlines and we have been quite successful in placing the airplane with operators," said Henry Hubschman, president and CEO of GECAS.

GECAS has directly ordered a total of 301 Boeing jetliners and currently has more than 600 Boeing aeroplanes in their fleet. The total GECAS Next-Generation 737 fleet stands at nearly 200 aeroplanes, which includes purchases from Boeing and third parties. All are in operation with more than 30 different airline customers around the world.

Boeing has so far received orders for more than 2,500 Next-Generation 737s since launching the program in 1993, with unfilled orders for more than 850 aeroplanes.