First A320neo Aircraft to be Leased to AirAsia GECAS Takes Delivery of Airbus’ Tianjin Factory

GECAS is taking delivery of MSN 7803 from Tianjin, China on 25th of October 2017. Leased to AirAsia, this aircraft is the first A320neo from the Tianjin Airbus factory for both AirAsia and GECAS. AirAsia currently has a fleet of 184 delivered aircraft from Airbus, and seven on lease from GECAS.

The Airbus Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Tianjin is the first to operate outside of Europe and is designed based on the state-of-the-art A320 Family FAL in Hamburg, Germany.
“We are very proud to receive the first Airbus A320neo fully assembled in Tianjin. China is today one of the world’s most important markets for aviation, and we are honoured to be part of the development and rapid growth of China’s civil aviation. We are certainly proud to take delivery of this aircraft fully assembled in Tianjin and have this historic aircraft as part of our fleet,” explained Aireen Omar, AirAsia Berhad’s Chief Executive Officer.

“GECAS is proud to deliver this state-of-the-art A320neo to AirAsia, a long-standing customer of GECAS,” said Krish Parampathy, GECAS’ SVP Marketing, adding “With CFMI LEAP – 1A26 engines, the neo combines excellent efficiencies with increased range and capacity, making it an ideal fit for AirAsia.”

“Our Tianjin factory is proud to transition its first A320neo to GECAS and AirAsia, marking Airbus Tianjin’s first delivery to a non-Chinese operator” states Eric Chen, Airbus China President, “Not only does the A320neo fit seamlessly into existing A320 Family fleets, this aircraft offers additional payload and range, with reduced noise, emissions and operating costs.”

About GECAS
GE Capital Aviation Services is a world leader in aviation leasing and financing. With 50 years of aviation finance experience, GECAS offers a wide range of aircraft types including narrow-bodies, wide-bodies, regional jets, turboprops, freighters and helicopters, plus multiple financing products and services including operating leases, purchase/leasebacks, secured debt financing, capital markets, engine leasing, airframe parts management and airport/airline consulting. GECAS owns or services a fleet of nearly 2,000 aircraft (1,685 fixed wing/ 310 rotary wing) in operation or on order, plus provides loans collateralized on an additional ~400 aircraft. GECAS serves ~264 customers in over 75 countries from a network of 26 offices. www.gecas.com

Media contact:
James Luton
+1 203 842 5887
james.luton@gecas.com