Plane rental firm signs 33-plane Boeing deal

Steven Udvar-Hazy's Air Lease Corp. agreed to buy as many as 33 jetliners from Boeing Co. as the former head of International Lease Finance Corp. expands the fleet of his latest plane-rental venture.

Air Lease placed firm orders for 14 737-800 single-aisle planes and converted options for six more while adding the right to buy four in the future. The deal with Boeing also includes five 777-300ER widebodies and four 787-9 Dreamliners.

Boeing said in a statement issued at the Paris Air Show that the agreement has yet to be finalized.

Udvar-Hazy said in an interview that he's urging Boeing to commit to developing an all-new version of the 737 rather than follow European rival Airbus SAS in re-engining the model.

“We're trying to encourage our friends in Seattle to look several decades ahead and hopefully come up with a new family of aircraft that will become the mainstay of the shorthaul airline industry,” he said. In the meantime we'll be buying 737s.''