ILFC confirms that is has recently converted firm orders for eight Boeing 787-8s to the larger 787-9 model, making the lessor the single largest customer of the type.
The adjustment was revealed on 8 May in Boeing’s monthly update of the 787-9 order backlog.
ILFC placed multiple orders for the 787 from 2005 to 2007, resulting in orders for 74 aircraft overall that were previously split between 41 787-9 and 33 787-8s.
But Boeing’s latest update shows that ILFC’s 787-9 order has increased to 49 and the 787-8 order has declined to 25 aircraft.
The conversions to the 787-9 include four aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, three powered by the General Electric GEnx-1b and one aircraft with no engine selected.
ILFC still has not picked an engine supplier on the original order for 41 787-9s.
An ILFC spokesman confirmed the shift in the overall order mix, but did not elaborate on the reasons.
The switch means that ILFC stands alone as the largest customer for the 787-9. Since 2011, Etihad Airways’s combined orders for 41 787-9s had meant that the type’s largest buyer was split between the two companies.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
