Singapore-based aircraft lessor BOC Aviation opened the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow on July 20 by finalizing its largest ever engine transaction, firming up an order for up to 300 CFM International LEAP engines to power narrow-body jets it has previously ordered from Airbus and Boeing.
A 200 + 100 Split Across A320neo And 737 MAX
The commitment breaks into 200 LEAP-1A engines, which will power Airbus A320neo family aircraft, and 100 LEAP-1B engines, the sole powerplant option on the Boeing 737 MAX. BOC Aviation now has a portfolio of 811 aircraft and engines owned, managed and on order, with leases across 88 airlines in 45 countries.
A Lessor Doubling Down On A Long-Running Bet
CFM engines have powered part of BOC Aviation's fleet since 1998, and its LEAP-1A order book stretches back to 2013. Today, more than 240 of BOC Aviation's aircraft already fly with CFM engines. "This is our largest ever engine transaction and it will propel our growth from this decade into the next," said BOC Aviation chief executive Steven Townend, framing the deal as core to the lessor's pledge to build one of the greenest fleets of any major lessor.
Farnborough Momentum For LEAP
With more than 10,000 LEAP engines delivered to date, CFM says the family has ridden the fastest ramp in commercial-aviation history. The Farnborough announcement follows LEAP-1B durability-kit certification and a separate MoU signed the same day between CFM and IndiGo covering more than 1,000 additional LEAP-1A engines, cementing the joint venture's hold on the narrow-body engine market.
The BOC order lands alongside a wave of day-one Farnborough deals, including Boeing's SMBC Aviation Capital 100-jet narrow-body split, Honeywell's record 810-aircraft IndiGo mandate, and Eve Air Mobility's 16-eVTOL LOI with Shearwater, underlining a show dominated by fleet-renewal capital rather than new airframes.
Reporting based on coverage from Safran/CFM International, FlightGlobal and Simple Flying.