According to multiple sources, ANA (Al Nippon Airways) has committed to buying 20 of Boeing's 787 aircraft, a move that will put ANA's 787 fleet count above 100. This USD $5B is composed of 11 787-10s, four 787-9s, and five 787-8s.
Due to the recent issues surrounding the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines, ANA plans to use the more reliable General Electric GEnx-1B engines. The Boeing 787-10 is planned to replace their domestic 777s, which are planned to be put into retirement in the near future.
According to Boeing, this will be ANA's sixth 787 purchase. As Yutaka Ito, ANA's Executive Vice President, "Boeing's 787s have served ANA with distinction, [ANA is] are proud to expand [their] fleet by adding more of these technologically-advanced aircraft. These planes represent a significant step forward for ANA as [they] work to make [their] entire fleet even more eco-friendly and further reduce noise output."
ANA has been increasingly expanding, having added 12 new routes from Haneda last fall. ANA plans to continue expansion, though it may be difficult at this stage considering the increasingly prevalent Coronavirus that has hurt the aviation industry, especially in Asia.
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