Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways appears to be on the verge of placing an order for 10 Boeing 787 widebody aircraft, according to industry insiders who spoke on Wednesday. The deal could be publicly announced at the upcoming Farnborough Airshow, scheduled for July 20-24 in Britain.
Both Etihad and Boeing declined to offer any comment on the reported negotiations.
However, sources familiar with the talks warned that nothing is finalized yet, as discussions are still ongoing ahead of the British aviation event.
Etihad’s CEO Antonoaldo Neves indicated to Reuters last month that the airline was weighing an order for a double-digit number of wide-body planes, though he did not provide any additional specifics at the time.
The airline has been working to rebuild its flight schedule after reducing operations in March, a move prompted by rising fuel costs tied to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
European aircraft manufacturer Airbus noted earlier that airlines across the Middle East are bouncing back strongly following the region’s fragile ceasefire, with major Gulf aviation hubs seeing traffic levels return toward pre-conflict norms.
