Philippine Airlines Eyes 20 Widebody Jets Split Evenly Between Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 in $6 Billion Fleet Renewal

Philippine Airlines (PR) is preparing to split a 20-jet widebody order between Boeing and Airbus. According to Bloomberg, people familiar with the discussions say PAL will buy ten Boeing 787 Dreamliners and ten Airbus A350s. The carrier is expected to formalize the deal at the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom, which opens on July 20, 2026.

The order will replace Philippine Airlines’ oldest widebody jets, the Airbus A330-300 and the Boeing 777-300ER. It also marks the carrier’s first direct purchase from Boeing since March 2007, when it finalized a deal for two 777-300ERs. Boeing, Airbus, and PAL representatives have all declined to comment on the pending order.

PAL Splits Its 20-Jet Widebody Order Between Boeing 787 and Airbus A350

Philippine Airlines began studying a widebody order of up to 20 aircraft in early June, weighing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner against the Airbus A330neo and A350 families. By early July, sources told Bloomberg that the carrier had settled on a split order. The final mix is now expected to include ten 787s and ten A350s, though the details are still being finalized and the ratio could still change before signing.

The decision to divide the order rather than pick a single manufacturer is notable. Philippine Airlines has ordered widebody aircraft exclusively from Airbus since 2007, giving Boeing no direct commercial jet sales to the carrier for 19 years. A split order lets PAL diversify its supplier base while still meeting its near-term delivery needs from two active production lines.

Why Philippine Airlines Is Retiring Its Ageing A330s and 777-300ERs

Philippine Airlines currently operates Airbus A330-300s, Boeing 777-300ERs and some other aircraft types:

Aircraft Type	In Service	Parked	Current Total	Avg. Age
Airbus A320	17	2	19	15.9 Years
Airbus A321	26	4	30	10.5 Years
Airbus A330	8	3	11	12.3 Years
Airbus A350 XWB	4	–	4	4.0 Years
Boeing 777	9	1	10	12.4 Years
De Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8	7	4	11	8.1 Years
Total	71	14	85	11.5 Years

The airline has also flagged the Boeing 777X as unsuitable for its needs. Sources told ch-aviation that PAL will not consider the 777X because the aircraft is too large for operations at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL), Manila, PAL’s primary hub. That constraint effectively narrowed Boeing’s pitch to the mid-size 787, while Airbus offered both the A330neo and A350 before the carrier settled on the latter.

PAL’s Return to Boeing Ends Nearly Two Decades of Airbus Loyalty

Boeing aircraft currently make up less than 10% of the Philippines’ commercial widebody fleet, and PAL’s only Boeing jets are its ten 777-300ERs. A confirmed 787 order would restore Boeing’s direct-purchase relationship with one of Southeast Asia’s oldest carriers. Airbus, by contrast, has supplied PAL’s widebody fleet for more than four decades, dating back to the airline’s first A300s.

Industry analysts see the split as a hedge against production delays at both manufacturers. Boeing has told investors it plans to raise 787 output through 2026, while its order backlog for the type stood at 5,911 aircraft as of late 2025. Airbus, meanwhile, is working through its own backlog for the A350, a jet that has become the preferred choice for several Asian long-haul carriers replacing older twin-aisle fleets.

Wider Trade Context Behind the Boeing Return

The order comes roughly a year after the Philippines and the United States concluded a tariff agreement that set duties on Philippine exports to the US at 19%, while opening the Philippine market to American goods. Aerohaber’s coverage frames PAL’s Boeing order as arriving amid a period of trade tension between the two countries. Commercial aircraft purchases are not directly tied to tariff negotiations, and PAL has not linked the two publicly, but the timing places the deal against a backdrop of active US-Philippines trade diplomacy.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has described the tariff outcome as a meaningful, if modest, concession from Washington. The US remains one of the Philippines’ largest trading partners, with bilateral trade exceeding $20 billion in 2024. A large commercial order benefiting a major US manufacturer fits a pattern seen elsewhere in Asia, where governments have paired aircraft purchases with broader trade discussions.

Comparing the Two Widebody Contenders

The Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 are the two dominant options in today’s mid-size widebody market, and PAL’s order draws on both. Each aircraft offers distinct strengths that suit different parts of PAL’s network:

• Boeing 787 Dreamliner: Composite airframe delivering roughly 25% lower fuel burn than the aircraft it typically replaces, with a maximum range of 14,140 km on the 787-9 variant.
• Airbus A350: Also a majority-composite design, built with roughly 54% advanced materials, offering around 25% lower fuel burn, costs, and emissions compared with older-generation competitors.
• Cabin width: The 787-9 has a narrower cabin than the A350, typically configured in a 3-3-3 economy layout versus the A350’s wider 3-3-3 or occasional 3-4-3 arrangements depending on operator.
• Existing PAL familiarity: Philippine Airlines already operates the A350-900 and A350-1000, giving Airbus an operational head start over the unfamiliar 787.

Philippine Airlines is not alone in weighing this exact choice. Qantas was reported in June 2026 to be considering the same two aircraft types for its own 20-jet widebody study, underscoring how the 787 and A350 have become the default shortlist for carriers retiring ageing twin-aisle fleets worldwide.

How the Order Fits Philippine Airlines’ Broader Growth Push

The widebody order lands during one of the busiest stretches in PAL’s recent history. In June 2026, the carrier signed a memorandum of understanding to join the oneworld alliance, becoming its 16th member and only the second Southeast Asian carrier in the group after Malaysia Airlines. American Airlines chief executive Robert Isom, who chairs the oneworld governing board, said the move would “strengthen our connectivity across key markets in the Asia Pacific region.”

PAL Holdings president Lucio C. Tan III called the alliance decision “a defining and transformative moment for Philippine Airlines” in a statement announcing the deal. Membership is expected to be finalized sometime in 2027. The oneworld entry gives PAL’s Mabuhay Miles members reciprocal earning and redemption rights across more than a dozen partner airlines once integration completes.

Philippine Airlines has also been expanding aggressively in North America. Starting in November and December 2026, the carrier will add frequencies to Vancouver, Toronto, and New York JFK, while restoring nonstop service to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Chicago, for the first time in decades. PAL president Richard Nuttall said North America “continues to be one of Philippine Airlines’ most important markets.” The Chicago route, launching November 9, 2026, will use the Airbus A350-900, one of the same aircraft families now central to the wider fleet order.

Together, these moves point to a carrier positioning itself for its oneworld debut with a modernized, higher-capacity long-haul fleet. The 20-jet order would let PAL retire ageing aircraft precisely as new alliance connections and expanded North American frequencies increase demand for widebody capacity. A larger, younger fleet also supports PAL’s stated ambition to become the leading nonstop operator between the Philippines and North America.

What Comes Next for Philippine Airlines’ Fleet Plans

If confirmed at Farnborough, the order would be one of the largest widebody commitments by a Southeast Asian carrier in 2026. Airlines frequently use the biennial UK airshow to finalize deals that have been under negotiation for months, giving both manufacturers a high-profile venue for the announcement. Until PAL, Boeing, or Airbus issue an official statement, the exact aircraft mix, engine selection, and delivery schedule remain unconfirmed.

The order’s outcome will also shape how quickly Philippine Airlines can retire its remaining 777-300ERs and A330-300s. With deliveries of the airline’s existing nine A350-1000s already running from late 2025 into 2027, any new order would likely stack behind that queue, pointing to first deliveries from the new order arriving toward the end of the decade.