USA: GECAS’ 500th Boeing is leased to Kenya Airways

Boeing yesterday confirmed the delivery of the 401st Boeing B737 type to aviation leasing giant GECAS, making it 500 Boeing aircraft delivered to the General Electric Capital Aviation Services company overall. The event was suitably celebrated as a milestone in the relationship between the two American aviation icons.

‘This is a major milestone in our 20-year association with Boeing’ said Norm Liu, President and CEO of GECAS. ‘We are proud to take delivery of our 500th Boeing airplane. Boeing is a key business partner providing us with advanced, efficient and reliable airplanes that our airline customers need to be successful in today's competitive marketplace’.

GECAS has ordered a total of 645 Boeing airplanes, recently adding the 787-10 and the 737 MAX to their order book. GECAS until now has taken delivery of a large portfolio of different Boeing airplanes, including 57 777s, 30 767s, eight 747s and four 757s.

‘We are honored to celebrate the delivery of GECAS' 500th Boeing airplane’ responded Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner before adding: ‘Boeing values our 20-year relationship with GECAS and we look forward to continuing to be part of GECAS' growth and strengthen our partnership for decades to come’.

GE Capital Aviation Services, in short called GECAS, is a global leader in aviation leasing and financing. With over 45 years of experience, GECAS offers a wide range of aircraft types including narrow-bodies, wide-bodies, regional jets, turboprops, freighters and helicopters, plus multiple financing products and services including operating leases, purchase/leasebacks, secured debt financing, capital markets, engine leasing, airframe parts management and airport/airline consulting.

This particular aircraft will be delivered shortly to Kenya’s national carrier Kenya Airways, completing the foreseen deliveries of new state of the art aircraft for the year 2015. The B737-800NG is featuring, like its more recently delivered sisterships, Boeing’s SkyInterior which provides among several innovative features the so called mood lighting, enhancing passenger comfort on board.

The aircraft will also feature the new design business class seats all future B737NG’s deliveries will come with and which, or so it is understood, will be progressively retrofitted in the existing B737NG fleet. It has been such product innovations which earned Kenya Airways a three times in a row ‘Best Business Class in Africa’ award in recent years.