Boeing 787s Are For Sale

Boeing 787-8s of China Southern Airlines have once more been listed for sale.

The move by the Chinese carrier follows the previous temporary suspension of the sale process.

China Southern chose to halt the procedure involving the smallest member of the Dreamliner program, the 787-8, because of escalating tensions between the United States and China at the time.

Despite this, the appetite from the Chinese carrier to sell the fleet of Boeing 787s has been ongoing for some time; the first reports from the airline came in November of 2024 and were reaffirmed in the second quarter of 2025.

With this plan, 10 of the airline’s 787-8s will be put up for sale once again. Fast Technology initially reported that the listing had been put on the Shanghai United Equity Exchange.

Further details included the framework for the prospective contract, with each aircraft starting at a minimum price of USD 50 million and increasing from there, a lower cost than that of a brand-new model, reflecting the fact that these were already used jets.

The Boeing 787-8 at China Southern is over ten years old, and there are exactly ten models in its name. As a result, the sale will see the business completely farewell this aircraft type in a bid to streamline.

With that being said, China Southern does fly the Boeing 787-9, a mid-range model that is expected to remain in service for a long time, focusing on serving international markets.

Is The Boeing 787 Removal Uncommon?

China Southern’s decision to put its entire fleet of Boeing 787-8s up for sale isn’t uncommon across the industry; however, some may point to the youthful nature of the jets as the only outlier.

Most times, as airlines look to farewell an aircraft, they’ll also figure out if there are any buyers available. This is not uncommon and was most recently present with Thai Airways.

The Thailand flag-carrier has on several occasions looked to sell quad-engined widebody jets in a bid to overhaul its business and raise cash, all the while ridding itself of inefficient planes.

At times, airlines may also experience a shift in their overall business model or demand, and between ordering and operating a specific aircraft, things can change.

As a result, these airlines may position themselves to cut their losses sooner rather than later. Still, while they do so, they may also attempt to secure additional funding to support their finances.

For China Southern, the 787 remains a popular aircraft, and now the opportunity exists to acquire some of the 787-8s at arguably almost their midlife for a relatively low price, a possible way to secure capacity sooner than what Boeing can provide with new deliveries.