U.S. Air Lease Corporation plans to buy 384 airplanes by 2024

U.S. Air Lease Corporation (ALC) said Tuesday that it is committed to buy a total of 384 new airplanes through 2024 to expand its leasing fleet.

The company just leased a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner one day ago to Air Tahiti Nui, a French airline based in Papeete, Tahiti of the French Polynesia territory in the South Pacific.

The 787-9 Dreamliner will be the first longest-range Boeing airplane leased by the Tahitian airline from the ALC, which was announced by the U.S. air leasing company on Monday.

In an updated report about its activity for the third quarter of 2018, the ALC said its fleet is composed of 268 owned aircraft and 60 managed aircraft as of Sept. 30 this year, and it has taken delivery of seven new aircraft for this quarter, including two Boeing 787-9 jets and one Airbus A350-900 airplane.

Marc Baer, ALC executive vice president, said at the delivery ceremony Monday that the capabilities of the 787-9 Dreamliner help enhance Air Tahiti Nui's commercial operations and will significantly increase the efficiency of its future fleet.

The Tahitian airline is planning to use the longest-range Dreamliner to replace its aging A340s airplanes and connect its home base in the South Pacific with world capitals in Europe, North America and Asia, including cities such as Paris, Tokyo and Los Angeles.

The airline announced the lease of two 787s from the ALC in 2015.

Founded in 2010, the California-based ALC purchases new commercial aircraft through direct orders from Boeing, Airbus and other major aircraft manufacturers in the world, and leases them to its airline customers across the globe.