Etihad Airways is rumored to be closing in on an order for more widebody twinjets from the Boeing 787 Dreamliner series, with reports suggesting that the deal may be announced later this month at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026. The Abu Dhabi-based UAE flag carrier is already a big fan of the modern twin-aisle family, with examples of both the 787-9 and 787-10 models in its fleet.

This year has been a challenging one so far for Etihad Airways and its Middle Eastern rivals, with regional conflicts earlier in 2026 having forced such airlines to slimline their operations. However, Etihad’s rumored Boeing 787 order shows that its long-term path will be paved by growth, despite the financial and operational constraints posed by shorter-term challenges. Let’s take a closer look at the rumors.

Closing In On An Order

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The rumors of Etihad Airways’ plans to shake hands with Boeing on an order for aircraft from the US planemaker’s modern 787 Dreamliner series of widebody twinjets first emerged yesterday, with Reuters breaking the story. According to the publication, the carrier is eyeing a deal for 10 Dreamliners, although details on which variant or variants will be included in this rumored order are not yet known.

Reuters added that the deal could be announced as soon as this month’s Farnborough International Airshow in the UK. Such events often serve as ideal opportunities for airlines and manufacturers to share order news with the world. However, industry sources hastened to add that such timescales are not guaranteed. The news follows comments made last month by Etihad’s CEO regarding a potential order.

Simple Flying has reached out to Boeing and Etihad Airways for further information on this matter. We will update our coverage upon receiving a comment or statement from either party.

Etihad Airways Is Already A Big Fan Of The Boeing 787 Family

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If such an order were to be placed, the Dreamliner would not be a new aircraft type for Etihad Airways. Indeed, present fleet data made available by ch-aviation shows that the Abu Dhabi-based UAE flag carrier already has a grand total of 47 jets from the Dreamliner series at its disposal. The mid-sized Boeing 787-9 is the dominant variant, accounting for 37. These twinjets are 7.6 years old on average.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways’ remaining ten jets from the Dreamliner series are examples of the larger Boeing 78-10 model. These aircraft are slightly younger than their mid-sized counterparts, at an average age of seven years old, but, in any case, both beat the fleet-wide mean figure of 9.7 years old. Going forward, Etihad Airways has already locked in another four orders of the 787-9 and 19 more 787-10s.

Given the smaller size of the subfleet, it is unsurprising to see that, per aeroLOPA, all of Etihad’s 787-10s have the same configuration. This layout features 32 business class seats and 295 in economy. As for the 787-9, these have either 32 business and 271 economy seats, 28 business and 262 economy seats, or, in a three-cabin setup, eight first class, 28 business class, and 190 economy class seats.

Where Does Etihad Airways Fly Its Existing Boeing 787s?

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According to current scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Etihad Airways has penciled in a grand total of 312 one-way departures with the Boeing 787-10 from its main hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) this July. Milan (MXP) is the most popular route, with 42 flights, while Beijing Capital (PKX), Hanoi (HAN), and Madrid (MAD) will all be served daily.

Meanwhile, the more numerous 787-9 model accounts for 1,154 Etihad Airways flights out of Abu Dhabi International Airport this month. Its most popular destinations are served twice a day, with Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Frankfurt (FRA), and Malé (MLE) all benefiting from such frequencies. Other destinations served more than daily include Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Munich (MUC), Phuket (HKT), and Rome (FCO).