By Valerie Insinna and David Shepardson
(Reuters) - Boeing (NYSE:BA) is close to securing an order for more of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft from Australia’s Qantas Airways, industry sources said.
The order for an unspecified number of 787-10s deepens the presence of the high-tech Dreamliner family at Australia’s flag carrier and could be announced as early as this month, the sources said.
The sources cautioned that such negotiations typically go down to the wire and no decision is final until it has won airline board approval.
The deal would be Qantas's first order of the 787-10 model, a stretched version of the 787-9 with shorter range that is designed to compete against the Airbus A330.
Incoming Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson (NYSE:HUD) said in June the carrier would kickstart a competition to replace existing A330 jets by end-year.
Qantas, Boeing and Airbus declined to comment.
Qantas, whose original decision to opt for a smaller type of Boeing 787 in 2005 led to a review of Airbus's wide-body strategy, is considered to be among the most influential aircraft buyers.
In 2022, the Australian carrier announced a landmark order for a dozen A350-1000s – the largest European widebody jet capable of nonstop flights from Sydney to London and New York — as part of its “Project Sunrise” ultra-long haul initiative.
Sources said the upcoming Dreamliner deal swings orders back in Boeing’s favor with the largest variant of 787. Qantas last placed a Dreamliner order in 2018, when it signed a deal for six jetliners meant to replace its remaining Boeing 747s. It currently operates 14 787-9s.