FARNBOROUGH, England, 9 July 2012. Air Lease Corp. in Los Angeles, ordered 60 next-generation Boeing 737 MAX-8 and 15 737 MAX-9 fuel-efficient narrow-body passenger jetliners today at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, England.

The deal, worth $7.2 billion, is the first 737 MAX order from a leasing company for Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Seattle, company officials say. The Air Lease Corp. order also includes reconfirmation rights for 25 additional 737 MAX aircraft.

Including Boeing's order Friday for 23 firm orders and four options for 737 MAX aircraft from Virgin Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Boeing so far at Farnborough has received 127 aircraft orders and options -- all involving the next-generation 737 MAX aircraft.

Boeing archrival Airbus, meanwhile, has sold a total of four aircraft -- an order for the next-generation A320neo from Arika Israeli Airlines in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Boeing is designing the 737 MAX family of passenger jets to compete directly with the Airbus A320neo -- short for new engine option -- which was the star last summer at the Paris Air Show when Airbus announced sales of nearly 700 of the fuel-efficient A320neo. Airbus says the A320neo is the world's fastest-selling passenger jetliner.

The 737 MAX will have LEAP-1B engines from CFM International S.A. in Aérodrome de Villaroche, France -- a joint venture of General Electric in the U.S. and Snecma in France. The engines are to be optimized for the 737 MAX, Boeing officials say.

Boeing officials claim that when compared to a fleet of 100 of today's most fuel-efficient airplanes, the 737 MAX will emit 277,000 fewer tons of carbon dioxide and save nearly 175 million pounds of fuel per year. Worldwide demand for single-aisle passenger jets over the next two decades will be 23,000 aircraft, worth about $2 trillion, Boeing officials predict.

The Boeing 737 Max also has serrated edges called chevrons for the back of the engine nacelle and the engine exhaust nozzle to reduce jet blast noise by controlling the way the air mixes after passing through and around the engine.

The Boeing 737 MAX family will consist of three models -- the MAX 7, MAX 8, and MAX 9 -- that will have different lengths and different seating configurations. The new jets will feature the 737 Boeing Sky Interior with spacious cabin headroom, overhead bins that disappear into the ceiling yet carry more bags that previous interior configurations, and light-emitting diode (LED) lighting.

The 737 MAX aircraft when they enter service in 2017, will compete in similar markets not only with the Airbus A320neo, but also with the Bombardier CSeries, Comac C919, and Irkut MS-21 passenger jets.

For more information contact Boeing Commercial Airplanes online at www.boeing.com/commercial, or the Farnborough International Airshow at www.farnborough.com. Also follow Military & Aerospace Electronics and Avionics Intelligence daily Farnborough show coverage online at www.militaryaerospace.com/farnborough-report.

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