Avolon, the aircraft lessor based in Dublin, has finalised a firm order for 140 Boeing 737 MAX 10s, Boeing and Avolon announced on 4 November 20261. The deal was completed 15 days after the FAA certified the MAX 10 on 20 October2. Neither company disclosed a price. In a stock exchange filing, Avolon's majority shareholder Bohai Leasing put the value of the aircraft at no more than US$26.953 billion at Boeing list prices, before discounts, with deliveries to be completed by the end of 20363.

What exactly did Avolon order?

Avolon first announced the deal on 9 October as a firm order for 140 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. It was part of a package of 250 aircraft that also included 75 Airbus A320neo family aircraft and 35 A330neo family aircraft, with options for a further 100 Airbus aircraft4. At that point the firm orders were subject only to approval by the shareholders of Bohai Leasing, which owns 70% of Avolon4. With the deal finalised, Boeing confirmed that all 140 aircraft are 737-10s15. Boeing describes it as a record 737 MAX order by a lessor1.

The list value comes from Bohai Leasing's filing to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange of 9 October, which still referred to "B737 MAX series" aircraft. At Boeing list prices, which cover the airframe, optional equipment and engines, the 140 aircraft are worth no more than US$26.953 billion; the actual purchase price is discounted from that figure3. Boeing and Avolon did not give a value when they announced the finalised order1.

What does the figure of 240 unfilled orders mean?

It is Avolon's own backlog, not Boeing's backlog for the MAX 10. Boeing says the new order raises Avolon's 737 MAX backlog to more than 240 aircraft1. That count covers all 737 MAX models Avolon still has to receive, not only the 140 MAX 10s1.

Boeing's MAX 10 backlog is far larger. When the type was certified on 20 October, Boeing said more than 30 customers had ordered 1,555 Boeing 737-10s, accounting for more than 30% of unfilled 737 MAX orders2. Lessors alone have placed firm orders for more than 230 MAX 10s in 2026, five times the lessor backlog for the type at the end of 2025, according to Boeing1.

How many passengers does the MAX 10 carry?

Boeing says the 737-10 can seat up to 230 passengers1. That is the maximum seating configuration. In a typical two-class layout, Boeing quotes 185 to 210 passengers, with a range of up to 3,100 nm (5,740 km)2.

When will the first MAX 10s fly with airlines?

Avolon has not said when its first MAX 10s will arrive or which airlines will lease them. The Bohai filing only states that deliveries are due to be completed by the end of 20363. For the type as a whole, Boeing said on 20 October that certification clears the way for deliveries to begin in the coming months2. Leeham News reported that deliveries were expected to begin in early 2027, with WestJet positioned as the launch customer6. Ireland's Ryanair expects its first MAX 10 in late January and 16 by the end of April, FlightGlobal reported on 2 November7.

What does the order mean for pilots?

Avolon does not fly its aircraft. It buys them and leases them to airlines, and according to Boeing it works with 138 airlines in 62 countries1. The pilots of these 140 aircraft will therefore be employed by the airlines that lease them, and none of those airlines has been named14.

For crews, the MAX 10 is a 737. The FAA's draft Flight Standardization Board report, revision 22, lists the 737-10 under the same B-737 pilot type rating as the 737NG and the rest of the 737 MAX family8. Between 737 MAX models, the draft's master differences table sets training and checking at Level A, and the differences table from the 737-8 to the 737-10 also lists Level A for training and checking. The draft adds ground training on the MAX 10 landing gear and on the enhanced angle-of-attack system, both at Level A8. A pilot already flying the 737 MAX keeps the same B-737 type rating and needs differences training for the MAX 10, not a new type rating8. Our article on the FAA certification of the MAX 10 covers the differences in detail, and our explainer on how a type rating works covers the rating itself. For the wider context, watch our video Boeing 737 MAX 10 certified: the race with the A321neo.

Pilots preparing to apply to a 737 operator that will fly the MAX 10 can start with the Ryanair profile and the Ryanair pilot selection, or the WestJet profile and the WestJet pilot selection. Current openings are listed on our pilot jobs page.