Malaysia Airlines is close to ordering its first-ever Boeing 787 Dreamliners, a deal for around 10 787-10s that would replace the seven Airbus A350-900s the carrier currently operates on lease.

Bloomberg reported on September 18, 2026, citing people familiar with the potential deal, that Malaysia Aviation Group, the airline's parent company, is weighing the order for the largest Dreamliner variant. Boeing has moved ahead of Airbus by offering earlier delivery slots beginning in 2031, according to the report.

The prospective order marks a potential breakthrough for Boeing in a widebody campaign that has drawn broad attention. Malaysia Aviation Group has been widely reported to be seeking replacements for its seven leased A350-900s along with additional widebody capacity for growth.

Group President and CEO Captain Nasaruddin Bakar framed the requirement in an August interview with The Edge. "We've got seven [A350s] today. So of course, there will be a minimum of seven to replace. But we're looking at growth as well. So, there will be more than seven," he said.

The candidate set has been wide. Aircraft under consideration included the Airbus A350-1000, the Boeing 787-9, the 787-10 and the upcoming 777X. Delivery timing appears to have been the decisive factor: with production slots for popular widebody models increasingly scarce into the early 2030s, Boeing's ability to commit to 2031 positions gave it an edge over Airbus in the campaign.

For Malaysia Airlines, the switch would be notable. The carrier's current widebody fleet consists entirely of Airbus products: A350-900s, A330neos, A330-200s and A330-300s. It previously operated Airbus A380s, Boeing 777s and 747s, but the 787 would be the airline's first new Boeing widebody order in decades.

The A350-900s under replacement fly the carrier's longest-haul routes, and a 787-10 order would carry range and capacity implications for that network. The 787-10 typically seats more passengers than the 787-9 but offers shorter range, placing the trade-off between seat count and network reach at the center of fleet planning for long-haul expansion.

The deal, if finalized, would also land alongside an already substantial Airbus narrowbody-widebody pipeline at the group. Malaysia Airlines currently operates 10 A330neos, with 30 more to be delivered. In July 2025, the airline exercised options for 20 additional A330-900neo aircraft, with deliveries from that batch scheduled to begin in 2029 and continue through 2031.

That timeline means the group's widebody fleet renewal would run in parallel streams through the turn of the decade: A330neo deliveries building out the mid-size fleet while new 787-10s, if ordered, replace and expand the A350 fleet from 2031.

For Boeing, the reported deal would extend the 787's order momentum and add a first-time Dreamliner operator in Southeast Asia, a region where Airbus has held a strong widebody position. For Airbus, losing the campaign would leave the A350-1000 — the only candidate in the Malaysian evaluation still on offer from Toulouse — without a win in this round.

No order has been announced. Bloomberg's report reflects the state of negotiations as of mid-September 2026, and aircraft deals at this stage can still shift in size, variant or timing before a firm commitment is signed. The 2031 delivery start, if it holds, would set the pace for how quickly Malaysia Airlines can retire its leased A350s and pursue the widebody growth its leadership has signaled.