Boeing announced Wednesday that it has secured 140 additional orders for its largest single-aisle jet, the 737 MAX 10, as the aerospace giant's order backlog reportedly sits at a record level.
The order comes from Avolon, a global aviation finance company, which finalized its purchase of the MAX 10 planes. The deal pushes Avolon's unfilled orders to 240 aircraft, marking a record 737 MAX order by a lessor, a company that leases planes to other operators, according to a press release.
"We continue to see strong demand for new technology aircraft, and this order further strengthens our long-term delivery pipeline," Avolon CEO Andy Cronin said in the release. "The 737-10 combines outstanding economics with the capacity airlines increasingly require, making it one of the most attractive aircraft in its class."
The purchase arrives as Boeing works to steady its 737 production line and work through a commercial airplane backlog of more than 6,300 planes, valued at $612 billion, according to the company's third-quarter earnings presentation.
The Federal Aviation Administration certified the 737 MAX 10 on Oct. 20, ending a wait of nearly a decade and clearing Boeing to begin deliveries. The variant seats as many as 230 passengers and has a range of 3,100 nautical miles, the release said.
Everett's production line, known as the North Line, rolled out its first MAX 10 six days after certification. The line builds the 737 MAX 8, 9 and 10, while the wings are manufactured at Boeing's Renton site and shipped to Everett for final assembly.
In September, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg acknowledged the 737 MAX line was taking "a little bit longer" to stabilize than expected. During the October earnings call, he said reaching the company's target of 52 planes per month requires certifying the North Line and getting it producing, along with stabilizing wing production. Only after that can Boeing turn its attention to fuselage production, which takes place in Kansas.
So far in 2026, lessors have placed more than 230 firm orders for the MAX 10, a figure five times higher than the lessor backlog at the end of 2025, the release said. Lessors now hold more than 1,450 737 MAX planes in total, accounting for roughly 20 percent of Boeing's backlog.
The 737 family features prominently in leasing portfolios, representing about 30 percent of all financed airplanes, the release said. Boeing projects that annual passenger traffic will grow 4 percent over the next two decades, a trend the company expects will push lessors to expand their single-aisle fleets.
"As long-term travel demand is expected to remain strong, we stand ready to support lessors expanding their single-aisle portfolios with fuel-efficient jets that can operate across diverse route networks," said Brad McMullen, Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing, in the release.
