Royal Brunei Places 787 Order With An Eye On 787-8 Replacement

Royal Brunei order announcement
Brad McMullen (left), Boeing senior VP of commercial sales and marketing, unveils the order with Royal Brunei CEO Sabirin Hamid.
Credit: Adrian Schofield/Aviation Week Network

SINGAPORE—Royal Brunei Airlines revealed an order for four Boeing 787-9s, as the carrier looks ahead to long-term widebody fleet renewal.

The airline signed the firm order on Feb. 20 at the Singapore Airshow. Deliveries are set to begin in the second half of 2028, said Royal Brunei CEO Sabirin Hamid. The carrier has also secured two options.

Royal Brunei is still considering whether the aircraft will be for replacement or growth, but they will likely be more for replacement, Hamid said.

Hamid told Aviation Week that the replacement component would be for its Boeing 787-8s, which will be around 15 years old by the time the first of the -9s begin arriving.

Royal Brunei is still holding discussions with manufacturers regarding an engine choice for the 787-9s, Hamid said.

The carrier currently operates seven A320neos in addition to its five 787-8s, according to the Aviation Week Fleet Discovery database.

Adrian Schofield

Adrian is a senior air transport editor for Aviation Week, based in New Zealand. He covers commercial aviation in the Asia-Pacific region.

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