Russia to buy 35 Boeing 737 MAX jets worth more than $3 bn

MOSCOW - Agence France-Presse

REUTERS photo

A Russian state-owned leasing firm has signed a commitment to buy 35 Boeing 737 MAX passenger jets with a market value of more than $3 billion, the companies announced today, AFP reported.

Boeing and Aviation Capital Services, a fully-owned subsidiary of the state conglomerate Russian Technologies, will now work to finalise the details of the order, Boeing said in a statement.

"This is the first commitment for the 737 MAX from Russia and CIS, which is one of the commercial aviation industry's fastest-growing regions," said Boeing commercial airplanes chief Ray Conner.

Boeing says the 737 MAX, a new engine variant of the Boeing 737, incorporates cutting-edge technology to deliver higher efficiency and significant fuel savings.

Boeing said that it already has 858 orders for the 737 MAX.

The chief executive of Russian Technologies, Sergei Chemezov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, described the agreement as one of the biggest ever on the Russian aviation leasing market.

"Russia will become one of the first countries where air carriers will have access to innovative solutions, increasing profitability as well as the level of comfort and safety of flights," he said.

Aviation Capital Services said in a statement that the first aircraft should be delivered in 2018.

The leasing company was created in 2011 and describes itself as one of the biggest aircraft leasers in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

"We will get access to the most advanced technologies of the international market, and will be able to more fully satisfy the needs of the leading airlines of the region," said Roman Pakhomov, the general director of Aviation Capital Services.