Boeing Wins 787-10 Order

Air New Zealand is increasing its commitment to the Boeing 787 as preparations ramp up for its future fleet.

As part of a commitment to the programme, Air New Zealand says it’ll add two more of the high-capacity yet also undelivered 787-10s to its order backlog.

The move, initially reported by Aviation Week following an internal memo shared with pilots, was later confirmed by the carrier in its annual results presentation.

For Air New Zealand, a decision to commit to more of the high-capacity variant also means a greater reliance on the larger model in the next decade, as part of a strategy for the jet moving forward.

An Investment in The Boeing 787

Away from simply a deal for additional Boeing 787s, Air New Zealand has also just commenced a major multi-million dollar overhaul to its cabin product aboard the aircraft.

As these Boeing 787s show signs of age, and advances in cabin technologies become more prominent, the company is reacting by sending units for a comprehensive retrofit program aimed at enhancing customer satisfaction levels.

Fourteen of the airlines’ Dreamliners will undergo a head-to-tail upgrade. The new additions to the airline’s operation, including the upcoming 787-10s, will also be configured with the new cabins.

In terms of what will change, Air New Zealand says that with the cabin adjustments, it’ll bring a fresh feel with larger in-flight entertainment screens and the vital addition of Bluetooth connectivity, making it possible for passengers to use their personal headphone devices.

Fundamentally, from a seat standpoint, the carrier has invested in the overhaul of its business premier seats, while also committing to improving the economy seating and sky pantry to elevate comfort across all areas of the aircraft.

These Boeing 787s, moving forward, are to be key for the airline’s day-to-day flying, especially towards North American markets such as Los Angeles and New York, where the airline’s CEO says the new batch will be heavily featured, thanks to strong levels of demand.

Air New Zealand had even announced its intention to fully transition to an all-787 fleet moving forward for widebody flying, thereby removing the 777; however, complications with supply chains and new aircraft deliveries, alongside groundings, have prevented this from going ahead as intended.

Air New Zealand’s 787 Challenges

Unfortunately, for all the positives that the Boeing 787s bring, most operators and their standout performance metrics have airlines raving and ranting. For Air New Zealand, however, it has been a bit of a basket case.

From the first delivery to the middle of the 2010s, every possible issue that has arisen under the program has not spared the New Zealand flag-carrier. Whether it was groundings in the 2010s or now in 2025, the fleet has been affected.

As a result, over the last decade, Air New Zealand has rarely had a period where its 787 fleet has not been grounded by an issue, and additionally, its new scheduled deliveries have also been delayed substantially.

Nowadays, the ongoing Rolls-Royce engine crisis is impacting the reliability of the Dreamliner fleet. This recurring theme has meant aircraft have been on the ground for longer than the company would like.

While it is true that the 787 fleet has not been the only one affected by the global engine crisis, the widebody fleet is critical for long-haul connectivity to important markets such as those in Asia and North America.

With planes having been on the ground, Air New Zealand has been forced to scramble to agree to new lease arrangements to cover the 787 capacity lost. This is not always the easiest thing to do, as lessors also face similar requests elsewhere.

Either way, once things begin clearing up, which is forecasted to happen in the coming years, and new batches of 787 deliveries can arrive, the series will take Air New Zealand forward in the direction intended at the time of purchase.