Philippine Airlines is making one of the clearest statements yet about where it wants its long-haul operation to go over the next decade.
At the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow, the Manila-based flag carrier returned to Boeing with a commitment for 15 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners and purchase rights for five additional aircraft. The agreement, once finalized, would give Philippine Airlines access to as many as 20 Dreamliners, with deliveries scheduled from 2031 through 2034.
But the Boeing deal is only half of the story.
Just a day later, Philippine Airlines announced an agreement with Airbus for nine additional A350-1000 aircraft, with purchase rights for five more. If both sides of the plan are fully exercised, PAL could add up to 34 new widebody aircraft through the middle of the 2030s.
That makes this much more than a routine aircraft order. Philippine Airlines is effectively laying the foundation for its next long-haul fleet while keeping both Boeing and Airbus firmly involved.
Philippine Airlines Brings Boeing Back After Nearly 20 Years
The Boeing agreement is significant because Philippine Airlines has not placed a direct Boeing aircraft order since 2007.
For much of the intervening period, Airbus has played an increasingly important role in PAL’s fleet strategy. The carrier operates Airbus A320-family aircraft on domestic and regional routes, while the A330 and A350 families have become important parts of its international operation.
Boeing, however, never completely disappeared from the airline.
Philippine Airlines continues to operate Boeing 777 aircraft, including the 777-300ER, which has played an important role on high-demand international routes. Boeing’s return to PAL’s future order book therefore represents a shift rather than a complete change of direction.
The 787-10 is particularly interesting because it gives the airline a widebody aircraft positioned between its smaller long-haul aircraft and the larger A350-1000.
Boeing says the 787-10 will complement PAL’s existing fleet of 777 jets and provide additional flexibility across medium- and long-haul routes. The manufacturer also highlights the Dreamliner’s composite construction and fuel efficiency, with the 787 family using 25% less fuel than the aircraft it typically replaces.
For Philippine Airlines, that combination could become increasingly valuable as older widebodies reach the later stages of their operating lives.
Why the Boeing 787-10 Makes Sense for PAL
The 787-10 is not Boeing’s longest-range Dreamliner, but that may actually make it a useful aircraft for Philippine Airlines.
Its strength is the ability to carry more passengers than smaller widebody aircraft while maintaining substantially lower operating costs than many previous-generation jets. That makes it well suited to routes where PAL needs additional capacity but does not necessarily require the extreme range or larger size of the A350-1000.
This distinction will matter as the airline develops its future network.
Some routes can support a large flagship aircraft such as the A350-1000, particularly long-haul services connecting Manila with North America. Other markets may be better served by an aircraft such as the 787-10, where demand is strong enough for a widebody but not necessarily sufficient to justify the largest aircraft in the fleet.
That flexibility could allow Philippine Airlines to adjust capacity more precisely instead of relying on one aircraft category for a wide range of international markets.
The airline has also selected GE Aerospace GEnx-1B engines to power its new 787-10 fleet. PAL confirmed that the agreement covers the engines for the 15 aircraft, with the purchase rights for five additional Dreamliners also part of the wider Boeing arrangement.
The Bigger Story: PAL Is Ordering From Both Boeing and Airbus
The most interesting part of Philippine Airlines’ Farnborough strategy is arguably not the return to Boeing.
It is the decision to significantly expand its future fleet with both Boeing and Airbus.
Airbus announced that PAL had signed a memorandum of understanding for nine additional A350-1000s. Once finalized, those aircraft would bring the airline’s total A350-1000 orders to 18, including the aircraft already delivered. Airbus says the A350-1000 will become an important platform for PAL’s long-haul network, particularly services linking Manila with destinations in North America.
The A350-1000 and 787-10 therefore have different jobs to perform.
The A350-1000 provides the range and capacity required for some of PAL’s most demanding international markets. The 787-10, meanwhile, offers a smaller widebody platform that can be deployed where capacity requirements are lower.
This is a classic example of an airline using aircraft families to create a more flexible network.
Rather than replacing every existing widebody with the same type, PAL appears to be building a fleet in which different aircraft can be matched to different routes.
A Major Widebody Replacement Program Is Taking Shape
The timing of the orders is also important.
The first Boeing 787-10 deliveries are not expected until 2031, with the delivery program running through 2034. The additional A350-1000s are scheduled to arrive later, from 2034 through 2036.
That means Philippine Airlines is planning well ahead.
Rather than buying aircraft simply to solve an immediate capacity problem, the airline is positioning itself for a gradual transition from its current generation of widebodies to newer, more efficient aircraft.
PAL’s existing fleet includes Airbus A330s and Boeing 777s, aircraft that have served as important workhorses for years. As they age, their economics become increasingly difficult to match against modern-generation aircraft.
The 787-10 and A350-1000 will give the airline an opportunity to replace that capacity in stages.
PAL’s management has indicated that most of the new Boeing aircraft will replace roughly equivalent numbers of existing 777-300ER and A330-300 aircraft as those jets reach the end of their useful operating cycles.
That makes the Boeing order less about fleet expansion alone and more about fleet transformation.
Why the A350-1000 Will Remain PAL’s Flagship
While the Boeing 787-10 adds an important new capability, the A350-1000 appears set to remain the centerpiece of Philippine Airlines’ long-haul strategy.
Airbus says PAL’s A350-1000 is configured with 382 seats across three classes. The aircraft is designed for long-range operations and is particularly suited to the airline’s growing ambitions in the competitive transpacific market.
That matters for Manila.
The Philippines has a large overseas population and significant travel demand between the country and North America. Long nonstop flights can be strategically valuable because they allow PAL to connect major markets without relying on connecting hubs elsewhere in Asia.
The A350-1000 provides the range and capacity for those missions, while the 787-10 can help PAL develop a broader portfolio of international routes.
The result is a fleet strategy built around specialization rather than simply fleet uniformity.
PAL’s Airbus Relationship Is Not Going Away
Despite the headline-grabbing return to Boeing, there is little indication that Philippine Airlines is moving away from Airbus.
Quite the opposite.
PAL continues to operate A320-family aircraft on its domestic and regional network, alongside A330 and A350 widebodies. In February 2026, Airbus also announced an extension of its Flight Hour Services agreement with PAL covering A350, A330 and A320-family aircraft, including component support and engineering services.
That gives Airbus a substantial role in the airline’s fleet even as Boeing returns to the order book.
The new strategy therefore looks less like a Boeing-versus-Airbus decision and more like a deliberate attempt to use the strengths of both manufacturers.
For an airline operating from Manila, that could be especially useful.
What the 34-Aircraft Pipeline Means for Philippine Airlines
If all the announced commitments and purchase rights are exercised, Philippine Airlines could eventually add as many as 34 new widebody aircraft through 2036: up to 20 Boeing 787-10s and up to 14 A350-1000s.
That would represent one of the most significant widebody fleet programs in the airline’s history.
More importantly, it gives PAL a clearer roadmap for the next decade.
The Boeing 787-10 can provide additional capacity on medium- and long-haul routes without requiring the size of the A350-1000. The A350-1000 can take on the airline’s longest and most demanding services. Older A330s and 777s can gradually be retired as the new aircraft arrive.
There are also operational considerations. Running aircraft from two manufacturers brings additional complexity in pilot training, maintenance, spare parts and fleet planning. But Philippine Airlines already has experience operating both Boeing and Airbus aircraft, meaning the return of the 787 does not create an entirely new operating model.
The airline is effectively choosing fleet diversity in exchange for greater network flexibility.
Philippine Airlines Is Planning Beyond the Next Aircraft Delivery
The real significance of the Boeing 787-10 order will not be visible immediately.
The first aircraft is still years away, and the wider fleet transition will continue well into the 2030s. But the decisions made at Farnborough provide a strong indication of how Philippine Airlines expects its international operation to evolve.
The carrier is not simply replacing old aircraft one-for-one.
It is creating a two-family widebody strategy in which the Boeing 787-10 and Airbus A350-1000 can serve different roles while supporting the same broader goal: growing Manila’s international connectivity with newer, more efficient aircraft.
Boeing’s return to the Philippine Airlines order book after nearly two decades makes the deal noteworthy. The much bigger story, however, is what comes next.
With up to 34 new widebody aircraft potentially entering the fleet, Philippine Airlines is positioning itself for a major transformation of its long-haul operation—and putting both Boeing and Airbus at the center of that future.
For more on Philippine Airlines, see: Philippine Airlines Orders 20 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners
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