Boeing, Lion Air ink $22 bln deal

SINGAPORE-Agence France-Presse

Rusdi Kirana (R), Lion Air head, shakes hands with Boeing’s Dinesh Keskar. AFP photo

Boeing and Indonesian carrier Lion Air formally signed a $22.4 billion deal for 230 aircrafts, Tuesday; the single largest contract in commercial aviation history.

Lion Air ordered 201 Boeing 737 MAX and 29 next-generation 737-900ERs, with purchase rights for an additional 150 airplanes from the U.S. manufacturer.

The deal was first announced on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Bali, Indonesia in November attended by U.S. President Barack Obama, and was then estimated to be worth $21.7 billion.
“We’re excited to be the first airline in Asia to fly the 737 MAX,” Rusdi Kirana, Lion Air’s founder and president director, said in a statement.

The first aircraft will be delivered in 2017.

The single-aisle 737-MAX is an upgraded and more fuel-efficient version of the 737, the world’s best-selling commercial airplane.

The 737-900ER is the extended-range variant.

Meanwhile, a Kuwait-based leasing firm has ordered 35 more Airbus A320neo planes for $3.4 billion based on catalogue prices, the European aircraft maker said yesterday.

The purchase will be in addition to 50 A320neo aircraft ordered by the Aviation Lease and Finance Company (ALAFCO) at the Dubai Airshow last year, Airbus said in a statement.

The new deal was announced at the Singapore Airshow that kicked off yesterday and lasts until the weekend.