China Airlines, the Taiwanese flag carrier, will exercise the option to purchase eight additional Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft to be delivered from 2026 onwards.
The new aircraft will be assigned to regional, Oceania and long-haul routes to meet passenger demand in the post-Covid era.
SkyTeam alliance member China Airlines had previously decided on the purchase of 16 Boeing 787-9 passenger aircraft fitted with the General Electric GEnx engine back in August 2022 with deliveries to commence in 2025.
The eight additional aircraft will raise the airline’s 787 commitment to 24 aircraft, all to be delivered by 2028.
The orders may also be converted to the higher capacity 787-10 model based on demand developments.
China Airlines currently operates 777-300ER aircraft and A350-900s on its longer routes. Regional services are typically flown with A330-300 and A321neo aircraft.
The incoming China Airlines 787-9 aircraft will be configured with three cabins – business, premium economy and standard economy.
China Airlines often offers competitive fares between Asia and Europe where it will soon launch service to Prague, adding to existing routes linking its Taipei hub with Vienna, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Rome and London’s Heathrow.