TAIPEI: EVA Airways Corp, Taiwan’s second-largest carrier, is reportedly planning to purchase 26 Boeing Co wide-body passenger aircraft valued at more the US$8 billion at current list prices.
EVA Air is looking to buy 24 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners and two additional Boeing 777-300ER jetliners, according to a statement posted on the US aviation company’s Web site.
The 787-10 is to be the third and longest member of the 787 family, with 25 percent better fuel economy and less emissions than aircraft it is to replace, as well as being more efficient than competing aircraft by more than 10 percent, the statement said.
EVA Air is expected to become the first Taiwanese operator of the 787-10, the largest of the Dreamliner aircraft, which was launched at the Paris Air Show in June 2013, the statement said.
Two additional 777-300ER aircraft in the deal would bring EVA Air’s unfilled orders with Boeing to a total of 15 777-300ER passenger aircraft and five 777 Freighters, as well as the 24 787-10 Dreamliners.
EVA Air continues to modernize its long-haul fleet to replace aging aircraft, and these new airplanes could allow the carrier to expand into new markets, particularly Southeast Asia, Oceania and North America, Boeing said.
The airline currently operates more than 37 Boeing aircraft in its fleet, including 21 777-300ER passenger jets. The carrier is the world’s eighth-largest 777-300ER operator and fourth-largest in Asia, according to Boeing.
However, EVA Air said that it is still in talks with Boeing about the purchases, and declined to disclose further details.
EVA Air has been considering the Boeing 787 and Airbus SAS’ A350 for its fleet expansion plans. After EVA Air inked a NT$50 billion (US$1.5 billion) deal with Boeing to procure five new freight aircraft in July, EVA Air chairman Chang Kuo-wei urged Boeing senior vice president John Wojick to provide the carrier with more “friendly” pricing for future deals.
Chang also said the company has more experience servicing Boeing aircraft powered by General Electric Co engines, while the Airbus A350’s engines, made by Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC, might complicate maintenance.
As Boeing is not scheduled to deliver EVA Air’s new wide-body aircraft before 2018, the carrier in July also announced plans to acquire two Airbus A330-300 mid-range jetliners for about US$500 million, which are to be delivered next year.
The carrier reported that aggregate sales in the first nine months of this year declined 3.61 percent year-on-year to NT$10.66 billion.
