Kuwaiti lessor halves Boeing 737 MAX order after ending legal claim

Kuwaiti aircraft leasing company Alafco has halved its order for 40 Boeing 737 jets after reaching an agreement to end its legal claim over a cancelled order for the planes, it said Tuesday. Alafco was suing the US planemaker for $336m over accusations Boeing wrongly refused to return advance payments on a cancelled order for 40 of the grounded 737 MAX planes. A Boeing spokesman said Alafco "voluntarily withdrew its lawsuit, which permitted us to resume commercial discussions and reach a mutually-agreeable resolution." The Kuwaiti lessor will now buy 20 aircraft from Boeing, instead of the 40 on its order book, with new delivery dates, Alafco said in a bourse filing. Additional details of the agreement could not be disclosed due to confidentiality clauses, it said. Alafco, which followed other lessors in cutting 737 MAX orders, said it was "looking forward to a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship with Boeing."<br/>