New Asia Pacific aircraft deals unveiled – with more behind-the-scenes order talks underway
While there were a handful of orders from Asia Pacific airlines announced at the 2026 Farnborough Airshow, other significant deals are still on the radar as carriers look to address long-term widebody replacement needs.
Philippine Airlines was the major Asia Pacific representative amongst the Farnborough airline orders, although Vietnam Airlines and two of the smaller Japanese airlines also announced leases or orders.
Some of the largest Asia Pacific airlines are in the process of discussing aircraft orders, but the timeline of these negotiations is uncertain. Some may be announced this year, and others will likely occur later.
The order negotiation activity is driven by the extensive lead-times for widebody deliveries, meaning carriers have to act soon to lock in their long-term plans before delivery windows are pushed back further.
There were no big narrowbody orders from Asian LCCs this time at Farnborough - although both AirAsia and VietJet Air have announced new deals over the past year.
Summary
- Philippine Airlines 787-10 and A350-1000 orders will advance fleet renewal and provide for growth.
- Vietnam Airlines can effectively accelerate its introduction of 737-8s with three new leasing deals.
- Singapore Airlines is believed to be in the early stages of considering major widebody orders.
- Cathay Pacific will need more widebody orders at some point to complete the long-term replacement of 777s and A330s.
- Qantas is also reportedly eyeing further widebody orders, and Malaysia Airlines intends to order 16 long-haul aircraft.
Philippine Airlines' new orders exceed current widebody fleet, highlighting its intentions to grow
Philippine Airlines signed an MOU committing to order 15 Boeing 787-10s, with options for another five, on the first day of the air show on 20-Jul-2026.
These will be the carrier's first 787s. They are intended to bolster its medium- and long-haul fleets, with deliveries expected in 2031-2034.
The next day Philippine Airlines revealed another deal for nine Airbus A350-1000s, which will boost its backlog for the type to 16. It also secured purchase rights for a further five aircraft.
Deliveries of the new A350-1000 orders are due in 2034-2036.
Philippine Airlines told Aviation Week and CAPA - Centre for Aviation last year that it was considering ordering more widebody aircraft.
At the time, the airline said its top priority for negotiations was to replace its fleet of A330s, as well as continuing the replacement of 777s.
PAL operates 11 A330-300s in its widebody fleet, and has 10 777-300ERs. It has four A350s in its fleet; two of the -900 variant and two -1000s.
The carrier began taking delivery of A350-1000s in Dec-2025 from a previous deal signed in 2023, and it has seven remaining on order through 2028.
These aircraft will begin the replacement of the 777s, although some of the 777s will be kept in the fleet longer.
By taking this approach PAL can use the existing A350 orders for some degree of expansion as well as replacement.
And then the subsequent A350 orders can complete the replacement of the 777s, and allow for further growth.
Both the A350-1000s and 787-10s are much larger than the carrier's A330s.
Philippine Airlines CEO Richard Nuttall told Aviation Week at the air show that the carrier considered A330neos to replace its A330s, but decided there is enough demand potential to justify replacing them with bigger aircraft (the 787-10s).
The carrier is obviously looking ahead to opportunities from the development of new airport capacity in the Manila area.
Vietnam Airlines and two Japanese airlines revealed deals to top up their narrowbody and regional jet fleets
While it was not a direct order, Japan's Skymark Airlines announced a deal during the air show to lease seven 737-10s from Aviation Capital Group (ACG).
The aircraft will come from ACG's existing orderbook, and follows previous leasing deals between the parties.
The 737-10s will help with Skymark's fleet renewal and expansion, as well as allowing it to increase capacity at slot-constrained Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
Skymark already has seven 737-10s on order, and lease agreements and orders covering seven 737-8s. It received the first of its 737-8s on 30-Apr-2026, and has since taken delivery of a second.
The core of the carrier's fleet comprises 29 737-800s, according to the CAPA Fleet Database.
Skymark is part-owned by ANA Holdings, and operates domestic routes.
Japanese regional carrier Fuji Dream revealed an order for two Embraer E175s, which are set to be delivered in 2027 and 2028.
They are intended for fleet and network expansion, the carrier said. It already operates two E170s and 13 E175s.
Vietnam Airlines on 22-Jul-2026 revealed multiple lease deals covering 19 737-8 aircraft.
It will lease 10 from SMBC Aviation Capital, four from Avolon Aerospace Leasing and five from Phoenix Aviation Capital (managed by AIP Capital).
Vietnam Airlines already has 50 737-8s on order from Boeing as a result of a deal finalised in Feb-2026.
It does not currently operate 737 MAXs, with its narrowbody fleet comprising 61 Airbus aircraft including 42 A321s, one A320, 14 A321neos and four A320neos.
The aircraft under the latest lease deals are expected to arrive in 2028 - sooner than the orders which are due to begin arriving in 2030.
The carrier stressed that the lease deals allow it to secure aircraft "against a backdrop of persistent aircraft production backlogs, extended delivery lead times and strong competition in the global leasing market".
Many other deals are pending, but were not advanced enough to be contenders for Farnborough announcements
Qantas is considering ordering about 20 widebodies, either 787s or A350s, according to a Reuters report from Jun-2026.
The carrier already has orders for both models, as well as options or purchase rights.
Qantas has 12 787s remaining to be delivered, including eight -10s and four -9s.
It has orders for 12 A350-1000ULRs for its Project Sunrise initiative which are due from 2027, and another 12 standard-configuration A350-1000s.
The last major widebody order Qantas placed was in 2023, when it announced deals for the 12 standard A350-1000s and 12 787s.
At the time, it said these would be used to replace its A330s and eventually begin replacing its A380s.
Reuters also reported in Jun-2026 that Singapore Airlines was in the early stages of discussions about an order for about 50 widebodies, and is considering 777Xs and A350-1000s.
The airline already operates A350-900s, but not A350-1000s. It has 31 777-9s on order.
The 777-9s and three 787-10s represent the carrier's only existing widebody orders.
It will need to place more orders to continue its widebody fleet replacement in the longer term.
Cathay Pacific has hinted at the need for further widebody orders at some point in the near future, but no timeline details have emerged.
The airline's current passenger widebody fleet comprises 52 Boeing 777s (mainly -300ERs), 30 A350-900s, 17 A350-1000s, and 42 A330-300s, according to the CAPA Fleet Database.
It has 35 777-9s and 30 A330neos on order, which will not be enough to complete the replacement of its 777s and A330s.
Other Asia Pacific carriers are also evaluating orders. Malaysia Airlines has said it plans to order 16 widebodies, probably in the fourth quarter.
These would be for the replacement and expansion of its seven leased A350-900 fleet which it uses for long-haul routes.
For airlines, fleet renewal does not have an endpoint
While there was a surge in ordering activity in the post-pandemic period, Asia Pacific airlines need to place more orders to ensure their fleet renewal programmes do not lose momentum in the long term - particularly with production slots sold out so far in advance.
Having a healthy delivery pipeline means airlines are able to adjust between replacement and growth depending on industry cycles.
Recent delivery delays demonstrate how disruptions and breaks in the delivery timetable can create a ripple effect of problems for airline fleet planning.
Beyond the need for fleet renewal, orders from Philippine Airlines and Vietnam Airlines highlight the growth potential in many Asia Pacific markets.
And Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines order aspirations demonstrate their faith in growing transit traffic.
From the manufacturers' perspective, the battle for Asia Pacific widebody orders will remain fierce, particularly with so many airlines showing an appetite for split orders. There are no easy wins anymore.
Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas all operate mixed widebody fleets, giving them considerable flexibility as they consider more orders.
The next round of order activity could also help spur Airbus and Boeing to make decisions on further stretches to their main widebody types.
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