ILFC ponders major order, 787 compensation

Published 11:08 am Tuesday, February 19, 2008

International Lease Finance Corp. made some splashes at the Singapore Airshow.

The world’s largest leasing company plans to order as many as 286 aircraft from the Boeing Co. and Airbus to meet the growing demand coming from Asia, reports Bloomberg.

Chief Executive Officer Steven Udvar-Hazy told reporters in Singapore the company could order 160 jets from Airbus and 126 from the Boeing Co. ILFC could order 150 Airbus A320s and 100 Boeing 737s.

Udvar-Hazy also said that ILFC is considering buying 26 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, despite the jet’s lateness. That doesn’t mean ILFC is pleased with Boeing’s nine to 12 month delay on the 787.

ILFC’s chief told Reuters that 15 to 20 of the leasing company’s 787s will be impacted by the delay. Each 787 brings in about $1 million monthly in lease deals to the company.

“We’ve put Boeing on notice that there will be some very serious talks,” Udvar-Hazy said. When asked if ILFC will seek compensation, he said: “Definitely, on a large scale.”