When an airline picks a new long-haul jet, it usually picks a side. Boeing or Airbus. Dreamliner or A350. The engineering, the training, the spare parts, the pilot type-ratings — everything gets simpler when you commit to one family. Philippine Airlines has reportedly decided to do the opposite, and buy both.
According to multiple industry reports, the Manila-based flag carrier is finalising an order for around 20 widebody jets split down the middle: roughly ten Boeing 787 Dreamliners and ten Airbus A350s. A formal announcement is expected at the Farnborough International Airshow on Jul. 20, 2026. If it lands as reported, it will be PAL's first Boeing order in nearly two decades.
• Airline: Philippine Airlines (PAL)
• Reported order: ~20 widebodies — about 10 Boeing 787s + 10 Airbus A350s
• Expected announcement: Farnborough Airshow, 20 July 2026
• Significance: PAL's first Boeing order since around 2007
• Current widebodies: 10 Boeing 777-300ERs, 4 Airbus A350s, 11 A330-300s
• Stato: Reported and being finalised — final mix may still change
Why buy both?
Splitting a fleet order between Boeing and Airbus is the aviation equivalent of hedging your bets. It costs more to run two different types — two sets of manuals, two maintenance regimes, two pilot pools — but it buys leverage. An airline that can credibly walk to the other manufacturer gets better prices, better delivery slots, and insurance against one supplier's production stumbling.
For Philippine Airlines the logic is sharpened by geography. It flies some of the longest thin routes in the network — Manila to North America and Europe — where the 787 and A350 both shine, and where being able to right-size an aircraft to a route matters. PAL already runs the A350 on marathon sectors; we looked at that when its first A350-1000 opened the punishing Manila–Toronto run.
Boeing comes in from the cold
The most eye-catching part of the story is the Boeing half. PAL hasn't placed a fresh Boeing order since roughly 2007; its current Boeing presence is limited to ten ageing 777-300ERs. Bringing the 787 into the plan would hand Boeing a returning marquee customer in Southeast Asia at exactly the moment the American manufacturer is fighting to rebuild its order book.
The Airbus half, meanwhile, deepens a relationship PAL already leans on. With four A350s already flying — including the ultra-long-range A350-1000 delivered in late 2025 — and eleven A330-300s on shorter routes, the carrier knows the Airbus widebody world well. Ten more A350s would make it the backbone of the long-haul fleet.
Watch Farnborough
Nothing is signed until it's signed, and reports are careful to note the final split could still shift before the ink dries. But if PAL walks onto the Farnborough stage on Jul. 20 and confirms a 20-jet, two-manufacturer widebody order, it will be one of the more strategically interesting airline deals of the year — a mid-sized flag carrier using the Boeing-Airbus rivalry to its own advantage, and quietly reminding both giants that no customer is ever guaranteed.
Sources: Simple Flying; ch-aviation; Aviation A2Z; Bloomberg (via InsiderPH).
Domande correlate
Why is Philippine Airlines buying both Boeing 787s and Airbus A350s?
Philippine Airlines is reportedly ordering around 20 widebodies split evenly, roughly ten Boeing 787 Dreamliners and ten Airbus A350s, rather than committing to one manufacturer. The mixed fleet lets PAL right-size aircraft to routes: it flies some of the longest thin sectors in the world from Manila to North America and Europe, where both the 787 and A350 excel.
How big is Philippine Airlines' 2026 widebody order?
Multiple industry reports put it at about 20 widebody jets, approximately ten Boeing 787s and ten Airbus A350s, with a formal announcement expected at the Farnborough International Airshow on July 20, 2026. If confirmed as reported, it would be PAL's first Boeing order in nearly two decades.
When did Philippine Airlines last order Boeing aircraft?
Philippine Airlines has not placed a fresh Boeing order since roughly 2007, and its only Boeing widebodies today are ten ageing 777-300ERs. Adding the 787 would bring Boeing back into PAL's fleet plan after nearly twenty years, handing the manufacturer a returning marquee customer in Southeast Asia as it rebuilds its order book, part of the wider 2026 Boeing versus Airbus comeback story.
What long-haul routes does Philippine Airlines fly with widebodies?
PAL operates marathon sectors from Manila to North America and Europe, including its punishing Manila to Toronto run flown by the Airbus A350. These ultra-long thin routes are exactly where the 787 and A350 shine, and the reason PAL wants a flexible two-type widebody fleet rather than a single family.
What is the difference between the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350?
Both are modern, fuel-efficient twin-engine widebodies built largely from composites for long-haul flying. The A350 is generally the larger family, suited to higher-capacity long routes, while the 787 Dreamliner offers strong economics on thinner long-haul sectors. Airlines like PAL value operating both to match aircraft size to each route; the A350 family even includes ultra-long-range variants like the A350-1000.
0 Commenti