According to its stock exchange listing, Taiwanese airline China Airlines has agreed to pay $4.6 billion for 16 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
The new agreement includes conversion rights to the largest 787 variant as well as options for eight more 787s. The airline’s outdated fleet of Airbus A330s will be replaced by brand-new aircraft when they arrive in 2025.
According to Planespotters.net, the airline currently flies 92 different types of aircraft, including the 747, 737, 777, A350, A330, and A321.
The announcement follows US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent trip to Taiwan as part of her tour of the Indo-Pacific region by just a few weeks.
After a 15-month break, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the first delivery of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on August 9, 2022.
The FAA said that although some deliveries have been cleared, Boeing is still awaiting permission from the agency to resume the remaining Dreamliner deliveries, which were put on hold in 2021 due to manufacturing problems.