Boeing has welcomed its first order at the 2023 Paris Air Show after China Airlines firmed up options for eight Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner jets. This takes the Taiwanese carrier to 24 Dreamliners on order - it has also converted six of these orders to the larger 787-10 variant.

China Airlines exercises Dreamliner options

Boeing had previously logged the eight 787-9 orders as coming from an unidentified customer, now revealed to be China Airlines. The airline adds to the 16 787-9s finalized last year that will replace its aging Airbus A330 fleet, endowing it with one of the youngest and most-efficient widebody fleets in Asia.

Photo: Boeing

The Dreamliners are set to join the airline "over the next several years" and will bolster its capacity and flexibility on its regional network. Previous estimates had the first Dreamliner arriving in 2025, with all aircraft delivered by 2028. The type will join China Airlines' widebody passenger fleet consisting of the 777-300ER, Airbus A350-900, and A330 - compared to current-generation aircraft, the 787 can offer up to 20% less fuel consumption and emissions, enabling cleaner and more efficient operations.

787-10 conversions

As it had previously hinted, China Airlines has gone ahead and converted six of its 787-9 orders to the larger 787-10. The 787-10 can seat up to 40 more passengers than the -9 variant (in a two-class configuration), although this increased capacity comes at the expense of around 1,200 nm of range.

Photo: Boeing

Nonetheless, China Airlines has said passenger demand continues to rise above pre-COVID levels, so the added capacity will likely pay off on its busier routes. Along with its medium-to-long-haul fleet renewal, the carrier has been busy rejuvenating its narrowbody aircraft with the addition of the Airbus A321neo.

Dreamliner in demand

The Dreamliner is now selling at the highest rate in the program's history following a flurry of orders and commitments over the past six months - over 250, to be precise. This includes over 70 from upcoming Saudi national airline Riyadh Air and 20 from Air India - other orders in the wings include a commitment from Air Canada for up to 20 Dreamliners.

Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis | Shutterstock

The program appeared to have left its woes behind after overcoming production issues that caused a 15-month delivery hiatus between 2021 and 2022. However, a recently discovered "nonconforming condition related to a fitting on the horizontal stabilizer" is likely to impact around 100 near-term deliveries of the jet. China Airlines will become the second Taiwanese airline to induct the Dreamliner into its fleet - EVA Air, which operates both the 787-9 and 787-10, welcomed its first Dreamliner back in September 2018.

What are your thoughts on China Airlines' decision to firm up options for eight more Boeing 787 Dreamliners? Do you see Boeing having a successful 2023 Paris Air Show? Let us know your insights in the comments.