There has been non stop talk about the orders placed with Airbus in the past 2 days by various airlines around the world, less about Boeing at the Paris Air Show. However today we finally got some news from the American aviation giant. Boeing has signed a deal to sell further 8 787 Dreamliner to China Airlines. Let’s take a closer look at the deal and the variant chosen.
The Boeing China Airlines Dreamliner Deal
While waiting for the new generation of Boeing 777-9 and 10 to finally hit the production line, the sales star in recent years has been the 787. This has become the airliner many Boeing operators are opting for to renovate their fleets.
This is also the case for China Airlines. The Taiwan based airline is looking to enhance its wide body and long range fleet by introducing the Boeing 787. The airline already operates new generation jets such as the Airbus A350-900.
However historically China Airlines has always maintained a quite even split in its fleet, in particular its long range fleet, between Boeing and Airbus produced planes. This order will therefore balance the percentages within the airline’s fleet.
The carrier already had a deal in place with Boeing for 16 Boeing 787-9, what is new is that they have placed an extra order for further 8 planes bringing the total planes to be received to 24.
Another piece of news it that China Airlines opted to upgrade 8 orders from the smaller 787-9 to the 787-10. Why is this special? Simply because this airplane type is quite rare in the skies. Not many airlines operate the type as we’ll see.
China Airlines Joining the 787-10 Family
Not many airlines around the world have opted to include in their fleets the largest Dreamliner in Boeing’s lineup. Most carriers have chosen to fly the smaller 787-8 and 787-9. At the moment there are only 9 airlines that fly the 787-10 variant, which are:
| Airline | 787-10 Quantity | |
|---|---|---|
 | Singapore Airlines | 22 |
 | United Airlines | 21 |
 | Etihad | 10 |
 | KLM | 10 |
 | EVA Air | 10 |
 | Saudia | 8 |
 | British Airways | 7 |
 | ANA | 5 |
 | Vietnam Airlines | 4 |
However Not The First in Taiwan
Although China Airlines is joining this rather small group of airlines that operate this aircraft type, it isn’t the only or first to do so in Taiwan. The other major airline on the island of Formosa, EVA Air, already operates the Boeing 787-10 for its long range operations.
