A Xiamen Airlines plane proudly takes to the sky. [Photo/WeChat account of Xiamen FTZ]
Xiamen Xinde Aircraft Leasing Co Ltd, an enterprise within the Xiamen Free Trade Zone, delivered two leased Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft to Xiamen Airlines.
This marked the reintroduction by Xiamen Airlines of the aircraft model after a five-year gap, with the last time they introduced Boeing Max aircraft was in 2019. With the addition of these two leased aircraft, Xiamen Airlines' Boeing Max fleet now totals 15 aircraft.
The restart of Boeing Max aircraft deliveries is forecast to trigger a small peak in new leased aircraft deliveries into the Xiamen FTZ, with an estimated concentration of nearly 10 leased aircraft deliveries by the end of the year. By then, the Xiamen FTZ will have added over 20 leased aircraft this year, with the total asset value of new leased aircraft exceeding 10 billion yuan ($1.39 billion).
As of now, the Xiamen FTZ boasts a fleet of 191 leased aircraft and 14 leased engines (with 11 new leased aircraft and four leased engines added this year). This increase has led to a fixed asset investment exceeding five billion yuan and an import value growth of 4.32 billion yuan.