Boeing has disclosed that in March Taiwan’s China Airlines ordered 14 777X widebody jets, including 10 777-9s and four 777-8 Freighters.
The US manufacturer on 8 May revealed the deal, which also included China Airlines taking options to order a further five 777-9s and four 777-8Fs.
Boeing says it had reported the deal in its March order log, publicly available on its website, but had attributed the orders to an unidentified buyer.
With the deal, China Airlines becomes Taiwan’s first carrier to order the in-development Boeing widebody, which Boeing says will let the airline add “capacity and range on long-haul routes to North America and Europe”.
“The advanced technology and features of the 777-9 will provide our customers with the best-in-class flying experience, while the 777-8 Freighter’s range and fuel-efficiency will enable us to maintain a leadership position in air cargo,” says China Airlines chairman Kao Shing-Hwang. “This is a significant investment toward our future, and we will rely on the new 777X family to help realise our long-term sustainability goals.”
Boeing is far behind schedule in bringing the 777-9 to market and has most-recently said it expects to begin delivering the jet, powered by twin 105,000lb (467kN)-thrust GE Aerospace GE9X turbofans, in 2026.
The jet can carry up to 426 passengers and has 7,285nm (13,492km) of range.
Boeing has said it aims in 2028 to deliver the first 777-8F. That jet will have 4,410nm of range and can carry 112t of revenue cargo, Boeing says.
Development and certification has been slow due to increased scrutiny by the Federal Aviation Administration, and more recently to an issue discovered last year that involved failed thrust links on Boeing 777-9 test aircraft. Thrust links transfer thrust from the engines to the airframe.
Boeing grounded its four-strong 777-9 test fleet for four months after discovering the thrust-link problem.
Longtime Boeing customer China Airlines already operates nine 777-200LRFs, 10 777-300ERs, eight 777-400Fs and 10 737-800s. It also operates 15 Airbus A350-900s, 16 A330-300s and 14 A321neos, according to airline fleet analytics provider Cirium.
Additionally, China Airlines holds outstanding orders for another 24 787s, one 777-200LRF and 12 A321neos, Cirium shows.
