Boeing has seen orders for its planes increase

Boeing said GE Commercial Aviation Services, the aircraft leasing arm of GE, would take delivery of the planes between 2008 and 2010.

GE plans to buy 24 single-aisle Boeing 737-800 aircraft and 15 Boeing 777s, the aerospace group added.

GE's aircraft division has a fleet of 1,450 planes, which it leases to more than 230 airlines.

The firm rivals US-based International Lease Finance as the world's biggest aircraft leasing company.

Record orders

We already have customers lined up for many of these aircraft Henry Hubschman, GE Commercial Aviation Services Check Boeing shares Check General Electric shares

Boeing said the new GE order had been placed in 2006, but had not previously been identified on the firm's online order book.

Earlier this month Boeing revealed that it had received a record 1,044 orders for new planes in 2006 - up from 1,002 a year earlier - trumping European arch-rival Airbus.

The US manufacturer said new orders had been driven by demand for its 787 Dreamliner jet.

Airbus, meanwhile, has suffered in the wake of production delays to its flagship A380 superjumbo jet.

Boeing said GE Commercial Aviation Services' order consisted of eight freighter versions of the 777 and seven 777-300ER (extended range) passenger jets, as well as 24 Boeing 737-800 jets.

"We already have customers lined up for many of these aircraft," said Henry Hubschman, chief executive of GE Commercial Aviation Services.