Leasing firm CIT orders 30 Boeing planes in $3bn deal

Boeing said on Wednesday that US plane leasing firm CIT Aerospace had ordered 30 of its new, medium-haul 737 MAX aircraft in a deal worth $3 billion (2.2 billion euros) at catalogue prices. The planes are due to enter into service from 2019, Jeff Knittel, head of CIT's transportation finance division, told reporters at the Paris Air Show, the world's biggest. The announcement comes on top of an already solid order book at the show for the US aviation giant, which has also announced the launch of a long version of its next-generation Dreamliner 787. Analysts say Boeing's message at the Paris Air Show was that it is firmly back in the running after a string of recent technical problems forced the grounding of the entire Dreamliner fleet worldwide for three months. The 737 MAX is part of a newer generation of planes which use less fuel and enable airlines to reduce their operating costs, and has yet to come into service. CIT owns or finances a fleet of about 350 commercial aircraft, including operating lease and financing agreements in place for 128 Boeing planes. The group also ordered Airbus's next-generation A350 plane earlier this year.