China Airlines firms up options for eight more 787s

China Airlines will exercise options to purchase eight more Boeing 787-9 aircraft, adding to an existing order for 16 examples first announced in August 2022 and firmed up a month later. The option exercise for eight more widebodies “will be finalised” with the North American airframer “in the near future”, says the Taiwanese carrier in a 10 May statement. China Airlines has 787-9s on order, and deliveries will commence 2025. While it did not disclose a timeline for firming up its options, China Airlines adds that it will be able convert the orders to the higher capacity -10 variant, “if necessary”. The new aircraft will be deployed on flights around the region, as well as to Oceania and unspecified long-haul routes, “to meet burgeoning passenger demand in the post-Covid era”. With the additional aircraft orders, China Airlines says deliveries of its 787s – to be configured in three cabin classes – will run from 2025 through 2028. When it first disclosed its commitments for the widebodies, China Airlines said the 787s will “become the mainstay” of its medium-haul widebody fleet, and will replace its existing fleet of 18 Airbus A330-300s. It selected the 787 following a widebody evaluation campaign which kicked off in 2018. The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 put pause to renewal plans, but the airline resumed evaluation in September 2021.<br/>