Boeing Pivots into High Gear with Landing Gear Exchange Programme

By Garth Calitz

In the aviation world, landing gear might not win beauty contests, but it is absolutely crucial to the safe operation of any aircraft, as they all have to land at some point and return safely to the sky. With that in mind, Boeing has been placing a renewed emphasis on its Landing Gear Exchange (LGE) programme, helping airlines keep their fleets flying and maintenance headaches on the runway.

Landing gear is “boring but essential,” which makes Boeing’s exchange programme a quiet superstar in airline maintenance circles. Instead of grounding aircraft for weeks while landing gear is overhauled, airlines can now swap in ready-to-install certified gear from Boeing’s global inventory, minimising scheduled downtime and keeping revenue service humming.

Boeing’s Landing Gear Exchange programme allows carriers to draw on a managed pool of overhauled, certified landing gear assemblies, installed when their own gear requires maintenance. The swapped-out assemblies are sent back to a certified MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility for servicing, testing, and recertification, then cycled back into inventory.

The programme supports a wide range of Boeing airframes, from 737-series jets to 787 Dreamliners and offers airlines flexibility in scheduling gear maintenance while helping avoid the costs and space requirements of holding extensive spare inventories onsite. Boeing’s landing gear programme has gained significant traction in the past year with several major airline agreements, signalling strong market demand for asset-efficient aftermarket support.

At the Singapore Airshow 2026, Boeing announced the largest landing gear exchange agreement in the company’s history with the Singapore Airlines Group. The contract encompasses more than 75 aircraft, spanning both 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner fleets operated by Singapore Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary, Scoot. Under this deal, Boeing will provide ready-to-install gear assemblies geared toward optimising maintenance scheduling and minimising aircraft on-ground time.

In April 2025, Virgin Atlantic signed on to Boeing’s Landing Gear Exchange programme specifically to support its 787-9 Dreamliner fleet, securing access to multiple fully overhauled gear assemblies beginning in 2026. This helps the airline optimise scheduling for landing gear overhauls, which typically occur every 10-12 years depending on usage.

Earlier in late 2025, South Korea’s hybrid carrier Air Premia signed a landing gear exchange agreement with Boeing for its 787-9 fleet. EVA Airways Corp. has also publicly highlighted how Boeing’s Landing Gear Exchange programme is boosting readiness and operational resilience for its 787-9 and 787-10 Dreamliners.

Meanwhile, airline partner All Nippon Airways (ANA) recently marked the landmark delivery of the 100th 787 landing gear exchange assembly under Boeing’s LGE programme, with gear supplied for around 30 of its 787s. This milestone reflects the long-standing uptake of gear exchanges among major international operators and Boeing’s continuous support for fleet reliability.

From cost control to operational reliability, airlines are embracing Boeing’s programme for several reasons:

• Reduced Aircraft-on-Ground (AOG) Time: Quick swaps mean aircraft can return to service faster, a major win for tight schedules.

• Inventory Efficiency: Airlines no longer need to hold large numbers of spare gear assemblies on site.

• Global Support and Certification: Boeing provides certified gear and manages overhaul logistics through its worldwide partner network.

It’s a shift toward “maintenance as a service,” and in an industry where every minute in the air counts, that’s a strategy most operators are happy to welcome, even if they never see it on the in-flight magazine page.