- Qantas Airways nears new Boeing 787 widebody order

Boeing is on the verge of securing an order for more of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft from Qantas Airways in Australia, according to industry sources. The order, which involves an unspecified number of 787-10s, will further strengthen the presence of the high-tech Dreamliner family in Qantas’ fleet. The announcement of the deal could come as early as this month, although the sources caution that negotiations often go down to the wire and final approval from the airline’s board is still needed. This would be Qantas’ first order for the 787-10 model, which is a stretched version of the 787-9 designed to compete with the Airbus A330. Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson had previously stated that the carrier would initiate a competition to replace its existing A330 jets by the end of the year. Qantas, Boeing, and Airbus have declined to comment on the matter. Qantas is known for its influence in the aircraft buying market, and in 2022, the airline placed a significant order for a dozen A350-1000s as part of its “Project Sunrise” initiative for ultra-long-haul flights. The upcoming Dreamliner deal is seen as a shift in favor of Boeing, as Qantas last ordered Dreamliners in 2018 to replace its Boeing 747s. Currently, Qantas operates 14 787-9s.