Canada’s WestJet inks nine B737 MAX 8 s/lbs

WestJet (WS, Calgary) has sold eight B737-8s to lessor CDB Aviation and will lease them back for an undisclosed period of time. The ninth unit of the type will be sold and leased back by the end of the year. The lessor said the transaction covers aircraft that had already been delivered to WestJet prior to MAX’s global grounding in March 2019. According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, the Canadian carrier took thirteen B737 MAX 8s so far. Before the transaction with CDB Aviation, it owned twelve of these with the thirteenth unit dry-leased from Avolon. It has a further forty-four B737 MAX Family aircraft on firm order from Boeing, including twenty-two B737-7s, nine B737-8s, and twelve B737-10s. CDB Aviation’s B737 MAX portfolio has thus far been limited to five units dry-leased to SpiceJet (SG, Delhi Int’l), the ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows.