Avolon finalizes record 140-jet 737-10 order with Boeing, a deal it announced last month

Lessors have placed firm orders for more than 230 737-10s this year, but Boeing's cash still depends on how fast it can build and deliver them.

Boeing says Avolon has finalized its purchase of 140 737-10 jets, a record 737 MAX order by a lessor. It lifts Avolon's backlog to more than 240 unfilled orders.

The business itself was announced last month. On October 9 Avolon said it had agreed to buy 140 Boeing 737 MAX jets and 110 Airbus jets, RTÉ News reported. FlightGlobal described them as firm orders. Reuters reported that the deal awaited approval from Avolon's majority shareholder, Bohai Leasing, which Avolon expected before the end of October.

It caps a year of heavy lessor buying. Lessors have placed firm orders for more than 230 737-10s in 2026. In July SMBC Aviation Capital ordered 100 737 MAX jets, 60 of them 737-10s, which Boeing called its largest 737-10 order from a lessor. Boeing has said lessors hold orders for more than 1,450 737 MAX jets, about 20% of the model's backlog.

Buyers are not waiting for the production questions to settle. The FAA certified the Max 10 on October 20, Reuters reported, citing Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Reuters also reported that first customer deliveries are targeted for 2027, while Ryanair's chief executive expects deliveries from January. The Max 10 has drawn nearly 1,500 orders, about 30% of Boeing's 737 backlog, according to Reuters.

The orders keep the backlog growing. The cash investors want depends on how fast Boeing can build and deliver the planes, and its 737 line is still working toward 47 jets a month.