Taiwanese carrier China Airlines has signed a $4.6 billion contract to purchase 16 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, according to its stock exchange listing.
The new deal includes options for eight additional 787s and conversion rights to the largest variant of the 787 family. The new aircraft are expected to arrive in 2025 and replace the airline’s aging fleet of Airbus A330s.
Currently, the airline operates a total of 92 aircraft, including the 747, 737, 777, A350, A330, and A321, according to Planespotters.net.
The news comes just weeks after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to the island of Taiwan as part of her tour of the Indo-Pacific region.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cleared the first delivery of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft after a 15-month hiatus on August 9, 2022.
While some deliveries have been cleared, Boeing is still waiting for approval from the FAA to resume the remaining Dreamliner deliveries after they were halted in 2021 over manufacturing issues, the FAA explained.