Boeing Closes In On Malaysia Airlines' 787 Order To Replace Leased Airbus A350s

Credit: Jordan Tan | Shutterstock Published Sep 19, 2026, 3:32 AM EDT Luke has over a decade of experience as a travel writer and aviation analyst. As a passionate traveler based across the Middle East and Asia, Luke offers strong insights into the industry. Based in South East Asia. Sign in to your Simple Flying account Boeing looks set to beat Airbus in the competition to deliver Malaysia Airlines' next-generation widebody fleet as the Asian carrier nears an order for the 787 Dreamliner. Reports suggest the airline is close to ordering around ten 787-10s, the largest member of the Boeing 787 family. The aircraft would replace MH's seven leased Airbus A350-900s and bring Boeing back into the carrier's widebody fleet for the first time since it retired the 777 a decade ago. Sources familiar with the matter claim Boeing moved ahead of Airbus by offering earlier delivery slots starting in 2031. Boeing And Malaysia Airlines Near 787-10 Deal Credit: Boeing Sources told Bloomberg that the deal would likely involve ten 787-10 jets, which have been chosen to replace the airline's leased A350 fleet. The Malaysian carrier's long-haul fleet has consisted exclusively of Airbus-made jets since its last 777s were retired in 2016 — its widebody fleet now consists of nearly 30 Airbus A330s and seven leased A350-900s, the latter variant first joining in 2017. Along with Boeing's promise for earlier deliveries starting in 2031, enginemaker GE Aerospace also reportedly offered better terms on engines compared to Rolls-Royce. Both companies supply engines for the 787, although the A350 family is powered exclusively by the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB. MH has operated the A350 under lease for almost nine years, with each carrying up to 286 passengers — four in first class, 35 in business class and 247 in economy. The airline has previously stated its ambitions to replace the widebody due to its high leasing costs, and has considered the Airbus A350-1000, Boeing 787-9, 787-10 and the delayed 777X as potential replacements. Opportunities For Long-Haul Growth Credit: Malaysia Airlines While both variants come with a similar passenger capacity, the 787-10 typically offers slightly more seats in a three-class configuration. As such, with ten of these airframes, they are not just going to replace the A350-900, but also provide MH with additional long-haul capacity and open up the possibility of new routes or higher frequencies on existing services. Where the A350 outcompetes the 787-10 is in its range. The 787-10 operates with a range of around 6,330 nautical miles (11,730 km) versus the 8,600 nautical miles (15,750 km) for the A350-900. Both models are sufficient to cover Malaysia Airlines' key long-haul routes to Europe and Australia, although the Dreamliner would leave the carrier with less margin for any longer routes it might want to add. Malaysia Airlines still has dozens of widebody jets on order from Airbus in the form of the A330-900. The carrier has a firm commitment for 40 aircraft and has so far taken delivery of just ten planes, the first of which arrived in November 2024. It was also an operator of the Airbus A380, flying six airframes until their grounding in 2020 and eventual retirement. Malaysia Airlines And Boeing History Credit: Alen thien | Shutterstock The Malaysian carrier currently operates a fleet of over 90 aircraft, and its most numerous type is the Boeing 737, which forms the backbone of its short and medium-haul network. Its 737 fleet consists of 37 737-800s and 19 newer 737 MAX 8s, both of which can seat up to 174 passengers across two cabin classes. Malaysia Airlines Fleet (Sep 2026) Aircraft Fleet Average Age Airbus A330-200 6 16.4 years Airbus A330-300 13 14.1 years Airbus A330-900 10 1.2 years Airbus A350-900 7 8.3 years Boeing 737-800 37 13.8 years Boeing 737 MAX 8 19 1.6 years Total 92 — *Data from ch-aviation The carrier also lodged an order for 18 737-8s and 12 737-10s in early 2025, along with options for a further 30 narrowbodies. Then, in August 2025, Malaysia agreed to purchase 30 more Boeing aircraft as part of a trade agreement with the US to reduce tariffs. Malaysia Airlines Group (MAG) President & Group CEO, Captain Nasaruddin Bakar, previously stated that the airline is targeting a formal widebody order in the fourth quarter of this year. Boeing's relationship with the carrier stretches back to 1969, when the 737 first entered the fleet. The planemaker also supplied MH's widebodies for decades in the form of the 747 and 777. Its last Boeing-made widebody was the 777-200ER, which departed its fleet in 2016.