Avia Solutions Group Orders Up To 80 Boeing 737 MAX Planes With Options For 40 More

Avia Solutions Group (ASG), the Lithuania-based wet lease specialist, has purchased its first new aircraft directly from a manufacturer, ordering up to 80 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Meeting customers’ seasonal needs

ASG and Boeing jointly announced the order on November 12, with the Lithuania-based but Ireland-registered company ordering 80 737 MAX 8 aircraft, with the purchase split between 40 firm and 40 optional orders.

Gediminas Žiemelis, the chairman of ASG, highlighted that the group was the world’s largest aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI) provider, carrying over 35 million passengers per year on behalf of its customers globally.

The 737 MAX 8 marked a commitment to a strategic approach of expanding its capacity to meet its customers’ seasonal needs, with the order becoming a key pillar of the strategy, the chairman said.

“This is a proud moment for all of us at Avia Solutions Group and is testament to the fact that Avia Solutions Group is now entering a clear phase of sustained growth.”

Žiemelis stated that the 737 MAX 8 aircraft will enhance the group’s airlines’ fleets, giving their customers operational flexibility and greater fuel efficiency.

An ASG spokesperson clarified to Simple Flying that the 80 to-be-delivered 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which Boeing will begin handing over starting in 2030, would be delivered to the group’s carriers based on demand, with no concrete plans as of yet. The representative added that,

“The order is common to all companies managed by ASG. We see a huge demand for highly efficient aircraft, while equally landing fees are starting to become higher for older generation jets, which further encourages the need for new generation airplanes in our fleet.”

Flexible capacity

Brad McMullen, the senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing of Boeing, stated that ACMI providers like ASG help airlines with critical, flexible capacity to meet the dynamic demand in the aviation industry.

The manufacturer was honored that the group selected Boeing and its aircraft to help ASG meet that demand from its customers, McMullen continued.

“By choosing the 737-8, Avia Solutions Group is aligning with its customers’ plans to operate increasingly fuel-efficient fleets that improve the passenger experience.”

In total, ASG has more than a dozen different air operator certificates (AOC) across the world, including those that are still pending final approval from the respective aviation regulators.

The only two ASG companies with 737 MAX 8 aircraft in their fleet are SmartLynx Malta, a subsidiary of the Latvia-based SmartLynx, and Ascend Airways, a UK-based ACMI carrier.

Ascend Airways’ sole 737 MAX 8, registered as G-WEAH, was previously operated by Corendon Airlines.

Ch-aviation data showed that SmarLynx Malta’s 13 737 MAX 8 aircraft were previously operated by such airlines as Air Italy (one 737 MAX 8), Eastar Jet (two), Garuda Indonesia (one), Jet Airways (one), Lion Air (one), Norwegian (four), S7 Airlines (one), and SpiceJet (two).

Potential A320neos

At the same time, the group could also be looking to acquire some Airbus A320neo aircraft, at least for one of its carriers, namely Avion Express.

As confirmed by the Lithuania-based airline’s chief executive officer (CEO) in an exclusive interview with Simple Flying and later reiterated by Avion Express, the ACMI provider has been looking at options to acquire A320neos on the second-hand market.

However, that will depend on the conditions of the available aircraft, with ch-aviation data previously showing that there were at least 58 A320neo (56) and A321neo (two) potentially available on the market.

The large majority of them were powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engine, which has been impacted by the manufacturing defect resulting in accelerated removals and inspections, grounding many A320neo family aircraft across the world.