LONDON – CDB Aviation, a wholly-owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (“CDB Leasing”) announced today that it had completed the last of the sever Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft order commitment to GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A., Brazil’s largest domestic airline.
Celso Ferrer, GOL’s COO said: “The delivery of this last aircraft in a package of seven 737 MAX 8s from CDB Aviation marks a milestone in GOL history, our MAX fleet reaching twenty-four aircraft with this delivery.”
“This accelerated fleet transformation plan ensures we can serve our customers better, with more comfort and environmental responsibility,”
“The MAX being a key component in the company’s goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, as this aircraft consumes 15% less fuel, produces 16% fewer carbon emissions, and 40% less noise, and has a greater flight range than the next generation aircraft.”
The aircraft are all configured with a 186-seat layout, in a dual-class cabin integrating the GOL+Conforto and GOL Premium class seats and have been delivered as part of the leasing agreement signed between the airline and CDB back in 2020.
The new ultra-modern aircraft will be an integral part of the carrier’s plans moving forward as it like many looks to the future on how best to recover in demand and economic options following the global COVID-19 pandemic, with Brazil one of the worst affected countries when the virus broke out.
Luís da Silva, CDB Aviation’s Head of Commercial, Americas said: “Our teams worked side-by-side to execute leases and deliver all these aircraft in very adverse conditions throughout the pandemic. GOL is a great customer that has all our trust,”
“The 737 MAX is expected to transform GOL’s fleet, providing significant efficiency gains, while supporting deeper penetration into existing markets and new opportunities for expansion.”
With the 737 MAX 8 aircraft the airline can start to look to take a foothold outside of the Brazilian market with new routes across the southern Americas now available to them, this is something they may look to take more advantage of following the sharp reduction in fleet and services operated by rival carrier LATAM which sold it’s modern and fuel-efficient Airbus A350-900 aircraft in 2021 following the risk of the financial crash.
The move by GOL, however, is an interesting one, the airline has elected like many to opt for the Boeing 737 MAX program over the country homemade Embraer 175 and 190 E2 program aircraft, which like the Airbus A220 and 737 MAX are designed for ultra-fuel efficient mid and short-range routes.
With the leasing of the seven 737 MAX aircraft, they will eventually be worked into a larger order of 28 that the carrier made with Boeing back in August of 2021 with the aircraft due to begin delivery to the Brazilian carrier at the end of 2022.
