Azerbaijan Airlines has ordered eight Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, adding to its previous order for 12 Airbus A320neo family aircraft.
Boeing announced the order on April 28, 2023, with the Azerbaijani carrier ordering the smallest variant of the 787, namely the -8. Previously, these orders were assigned to an unidentified customer(s) in Boeing’s Order & Deliveries files, according to the manufacturer’s announcement.
Azerbaijan Airlines currently operates two 787-8s which were delivered to the airline new in 2014. During the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2022, the Azeri airline signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for four 787-8 aircraft, with the quartet of jets to be delivered to Azerbaijan Airlines between 2025 and 2030.
This was then finalized, resulting in the order for eight 787s, announced in Baku, Azerbaijan.
“The 787 has helped position Azerbaijan Airlines as the leading carrier across Central Asia, with the airplane’s flexibility and capability opening Azerbaijan up to increased tourism and economic growth,” said Stan Deal, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) on April 28, 2023.
Boeing’s Orders & Deliveries data, as of March 31, 2023, shows that the carrier ordered three aircraft of the type in February 2007. In total, the manufacturer’s page shows 13 orders from Azerbaijan Airlines, including the most recent one, a single Boeing 777-200LR, in October 2018.
In early April 2023, Azerbaijan Airlines confirmed that it had struck a deal with Airbus, ordering six A320neo and six A321neo aircraft.
Per ch-aviation.com data, the flag carrier of Azerbaijan currently operates 34 aircraft, 12 of which are stored or in maintenance. The average age of the fleet is 12.6 years old, with the airline having taken delivery of one A320neo in November 2022 and two the following month.
AeroTime approached Azerbaijan Airlines and Boeing for comment.