Chilean airline LATAM Airlines is looking to expand its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. As the largest commercial airline in South America, LATAM is looking to accommodate more travelers with more modern aircraft as interest in air travel grows.

Ten More for LATAM

Boeing issued a press release on Monday morning announcing a new order of 10 787 Dreamliner aircraft from LATAM Airlines Group. The deal comes with an option for five additional 787-9 aircraft.

The Boeing press release explained LATAM is looking to purchase more 787s to accommodate more travelers on existing flights as well as have enough aircraft to operate new flights. LATAM currently has 37 active Boeing 787s in its fleet, and looks to increase that number to 52 by 2030. 

LATAM Airlines Group Chief Financial Officer Ramiro Alfonsín also gave additional reasons for the airline to order more 787s:

"The Boeing 787 is a much more efficient aircraft, allowing us to continue growing sustainably while reducing our carbon footprint as we drive the growth of our operations. This order will enable us to receive at least two aircraft of this model each year from 2025 until the end of the decade."

Boeing Vice President of Commercial Sales for Latin America and the Caribbean Mike Wilson also shared his thoughts on the new Dreamliner order from LATAM:

"We appreciate LATAM's continued confidence in the 787 Dreamliner family to further expand its international network from hubs in Santiago, Sao Paulo and Lima...As demand for air travel rises, we will continue to support LATAM's growth strategy and goal of connecting Latin America with the world."

The 787 Dreamliner by Boeing first entered service in 2011. Boeing notes that the model helped airlines create 400 additional nonstop routes and save over 173 billion pounds of carbon emissions.
 

According to the Boeing Commercial Market Outlook, flights to Latin America is expected to double over the next two decades with an annual growth of 5%. As there are about 2,300 aircraft on order by South American airlines, over 3,000 are expected to be in service in the region by 2043.

Boeing's Delivery History

Boeing's official website as of now states that 6,197 aircraft are currently on order from hundreds of airlines around the world as of September 30. Over 75% of these planes on order consist of the 737 Max aircraft.

An unidentified customer currently has 583 737 Maxes on order. Southwest Airlines is currently waiting on 468 of the same aircraft. A handful of other airlines, such as Emirates, Lion Air, and Akasa Air, have over 200 aircraft on order from Boeing.

The aircraft manufacturer has experienced significant assembly delays, especially regarding the 737 Max, due to “safety and regulatory checks”. At the time of the report, Boeing has been looking to assemble 38 737 Maxes monthly by the end of 2024.

Earlier this month, Emirates President Sir Tim Clark expressed frustrations over prolonged delays of 777X aircraft into 2026, considering the aircraft order was originally placed by the airline back in 2020. Clark has been inclined to having "serious conversations" with the manufacturer over these delays.