Boeing Cements Air New Zealand Order for Eight 787-10s
ANZ expects to receive Dreamliner deliveries from late 2022 to 2027.
Air New Zealand's Boeing 787-10s will come equipped with GE GEnx-1B engines.

Air New Zealand (ANZ) has finalized a contract to purchase eight Boeing 787-10s, the carrier said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday. The deal is valued at $2.7 billion at list prices, and ANZ expects deliveries for the new airplanes to occur in late 2022 and the remainder at intervals through to 2027.


The latest order stems from a previous agreement inked with Boeing in late May. According to ANZ, General Electric GEnx-1B turbofans will power the incoming aircraft, meant to replace eight aging Boeing 777-200ERs powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 800s. Additional plans call for the delivery of six ATR turboprops and three Airbus A320/321neos in the 2020 financial year; an additional 787-9 will also join the airline’s fleet later this year.


ANZ remains among several international carriers that have felt the effects of ongoing Trent 1000 engine troubles. Last year, the airline had to ground up to five of its 13 Boeing 787-9s over the problems, which by late May had affected some 2,500 flights, it reported. In August, ANZ chairman Tony Carter said he expected the airline’s remaining Rolls-Royce engines to return to service in the “coming months.”


Last Friday, Rolls-Royce warned that it would likely not have ready a remedy for premature turbine blade deterioration in Trent 1000 package B and C engines until the second quarter of 2020. The UK engine manufacturer faces about $2 billion in additional costs to address the outstanding engine issues.


ANZ’s new order corresponds with a rise in regional demand. According to its latest investor update in August, passenger numbers bound to Asian destinations increased by 14.3 percent in August while long-haul passengers rose 5.4 percent. Meanwhile, the number of domestic passengers carried grew by a mere 0.6 percent in the same month. The carrier forecasts pre-tax earnings of $223 million to $287 million for the upcoming 2020 financial year.


In a separate development, ANZ’s chief financial officer, Jeff McDowall, will begin his tenure as acting CEO on September 26, following the exit of long-standing CEO Christopher Luxon, who announced his resignation in June. McDowall has indicated he does not want a permanent appointment and ANZ plans to replace him in the first quarter of 2020.