Several months prior, I wrote about an online auction initiated by a prominent airline aiming to offload some pre-owned Dreamliners. There’s now a development, as these aircraft have secured a buyer, and we have insights into their (likely) destination.
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China Southern divests fleet of 10 Boeing 787-8s
As the largest airline in China, China Southern boasts an extensive fleet of nearly 700 aircraft. For an extended period, the airline has sought to sell its subset of Boeing 787-8s. It possesses 10 of these planes, which are on average over 12 years old, having been delivered in 2013 and 2014. The aircraft are set up with 266 seats, comprising 18 business class and 248 economy class seats.
China Southern has not been particularly pleased with these aircraft. The airline has expressed its desire to concentrate on larger wide-body models that offer higher capacity. Additionally, it’s worth noting that while the 787-8 has a commendable range, China Southern’s fleet lacks the upgraded maximum takeoff weight, rendering these 787-8s less capable than some newer variants.
In 2024, the airline initiated a project to sell these planes to “further optimise its fleet structure,” but the endeavor was halted in early 2025 due to tariff uncertainties. After several months, the airline resumed the process, intending to adopt an “all or nothing” strategy; it was only willing to part with these Dreamliners if it could dispose of all of them, alongside a spare pair of GE Aerospace GEnx-1B engines.
An intriguing update has emerged. Bohai Leasing announced that on February 27, 2026, it entered into a Master Sale and Purchase Agreement with China Southern for the 10 planes plus the two spare engines. This transaction is being carried out through its subsidiary, Avolon. The market value is estimated at around $532 million, with the final price to be established via the exchange bidding process.
For those interested, China Southern’s 787-8s have primarily been operating out of Ürümqi (URC), in western China. Despite being a large airline, China Southern’s fleet is predominantly narrow-body aircraft. Besides the 787-8s, the carrier’s wide-body inventory includes 22 Airbus A330-300s, 19 Airbus A350-900s, 15 Boeing 777-300ERs, and 20 Boeing 787-9s.
Are these Boeing 787-8s destined for Thai Airways?
It’s amusing because aircraft manufacturers have largely faced challenges in delivering planes on schedule, leading many airlines to complain about insufficient aircraft. However, all too frequently, when planes are offered for sale in the secondary market, interest wanes.
When we first found out about China Southern selling 10 Boeing 787-8s, many speculated on their potential destinations. Could Qatar Airways be looking to enhance its 787-8 fleet? Might this provide Southwest Airlines an easy pathway to initiate long-haul operations?
Well, no, none of those theories. Instead, it seems very probable that these 10 jets are en route to Thai Airways. While it doesn’t explicitly mention this deal, the airline has indicated that it plans to acquire 10 787-8s through a leasing firm, with deliveries anticipated to commence in the coming months. If this isn’t linked to the deal, it would certainly be a remarkable coincidence.
Over the years, the Star Alliance member has procured various aircraft from other airlines, so this isn’t particularly surprising. While the airline has numerous brand-new 787-9s on order, those will be delivered gradually, and it’s clear the airline is eager to expand promptly, especially given the number of planes that were decommissioned since the pandemic began.
Don’t expect Thai Airways to implement significant changes to the interiors of these aircraft once they are integrated into the fleet, as uniformity is not a primary concern for the airline regarding hard product.
Bottom line
In recent months, China Southern has been striving to sell its fleet of 10 Boeing 787-8s. The airline has approached this in an unconventional manner by attempting to auction off these aircraft all together. Many questioned whether there would be interest in these planes, and it seems that there is.
A leasing company has confirmed its intention to purchase these jets, and Thai Airways also appears to plan on leasing 10 787-8s beginning in the upcoming months. Therefore, when you piece together the information, the situation becomes quite clear.
What are your thoughts on China Southern selling its 787-8s and the potential acquisition by Thai Airways?