WestJet to lease first Boeing 737 Max 10, delivery expected by year-end
Aviation Capital Group will deliver the first Boeing 737 Max 10 to the Canadian airline. WestJet will take delivery of the first Boeing 737 Max 10 by the end of the year under a lease agreement in place with Aviation Capital Group. The first Max 10 is one of 13 aircraft WestJet will take from the lessor under a long-term agreement. WestJet has firm orders for another 60 737 Max 10s plus options for 25 aircraft. Aviation Capital Group had firm orders for 50 737 Max 10s at the end of March, its latest fleet plan shows. Alexis von Hoensbroech, the chief executive of WestJet, said ahead of the IATA Annual General Meeting in June that the airline anticipates its first Max 10 by year-end. However, he cautioned that the aircraft is unlikely to enter service before 2027 due to a lag between Federal Aviation Administration and Transport Canada certification. Boeing expects to certify the Max 10 later this year, chief executive Kelly Ortberg said in May. The airframer is on track to complete certification of the 737 Max 7 this summer followed by the larger Max 10 in “ close proximity “. WestJet, along with airline groups like Delta Air Lines, International Airlines Group and United Airlines, have orders for hundreds of Max 10s. The aircraft is roughly six years late owing to the twin 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 and Covid-19 pandemic-related delays. After WestJet, 737 Max 10 deliveries are expected to pick up with Alaska Airlines, Delta and United all expecting their first aircraft in 2027. "We expect to see that in Delta colours next year," Ed Bastian, the chief executive of Delta, said of the Max 10 earlier in July. The airline expects up to 27 737s in 2027.