On February 20th, 2024, the first day of the Singapore Airshow, Thai Airways announced an order for 45 787 Dreamplanes to update and expand its wide body fleet and international route network. On the same day, Royal Brunei Airlines announced the purchase of four 787 Dreamplanes to update its wide body fleet. These two Southeast Asian airlines have specifically chosen the Boeing 787-9 model.
According to Boeing, the fuselage of the 787-9 is 6 meters longer than that of the 787-8, with a nearly 20% increase in passenger capacity, which can enhance the new route opened in the early stages of the 787-8. Since its launch in 2011, the 787 family has opened over 390 new direct flight routes around the world.
According to Boeing's 2023 Civil Aviation Market Outlook report, the Southeast Asian region needs to add nearly 4300 new civil aircraft in the next 20 years, including nearly 800 wide body passenger planes represented by the Boeing 787 family and 777X, as well as wide body cargo aircraft models.