Boeing Commercial Airplanes has a new contract to supply 24 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft and two 777-300ER jets from EVA Airways, a Taiwanese carrier. The order is not yet finalized, according to the OEM, but it is valued a more than $8 billion at current list prices.
The Taipei-based carrier operates passenger and cargo service to over 40 destinations in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America, and already operates 21 777-300ER passenger aircraft. It is modernizing its long-haul fleet to replace aging aircraft, and to expand into new markets in Southeast Asia, Oceania, and North America.
Currently, EVA operates 37 Boeing aircraft in its fleet, which total 67 jets. In June, it placed an order for five 777 freighters.
Though the timing of the new jets’ production and delivery were not made available, Boeing indicated that EVA will become one of the first airlines to fly the 787-10 aircraft, the fourth and largest variant of the Dreamliner series.
It is designed to be 224 ft. long 1 in (68.30 m) long, with a range of up to 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km), making it available to cover nearly all of the world’s wide-body aircraft routes (including trans-Pacific and Europe-U.S. West Coast routes.)
The 787 Dreamliner is Boeing’s standard for wide-body twin-engine aircraft, with long range and carrying capacity for 210 to 330 passengers. Boeing also claims it is its most fuel-efficient commercial jet, with a structure based on a large volume of composite materials helping to reduce fuel consumption by up to 20% versus similar-size jets. A more advanced aerodynamic design than previous jets, more-electric systems, and modern engines add to the 787’s appeal to airlines.
However, the long development and other factors delayed the Dreamliner’s introduction. The 787-10 has yet to debut. The 787-10, which competes for orders with Airbus A350, has drawn 102 orders and commitments so far, including orders for 30 jets for Singapore Airlines, 20 for United Airlines, and 12 for International Airlines Group/British Airways.
With a unit cost reported to be $306 million per aircraft, the 787-10 is seen by some analysts as Boeing’s most immediate prospect for profitability with the Dreamliner program.
"We look forward to welcoming EVA Airways as Boeing's newest member of the 787-10 Dreamliner launch customer group," stated Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Ray Conner. "EVA Airways has been a valued Boeing customer over the past few decades and we are honored that they continue to introduce new Boeing wide-body airplanes into their growing world-class fleet."
