Alaska Airlines placed an order for more than 100 Boeing planes Wednesday, the largest order in the airline’s history.
The order includes 105 narrowbody 737 MAX 10s and five widebody 787-10s. It also includes the option for an additional 35 737s down the line.
The widebody aircraft will help Alaska achieve its intercontinental ambitions. Alaska set out last year to turn its Seattle hub into a “global gateway,” with plans to offer 12 new long-haul international routes from Seattle by 2030. So far, it has announced five of those routes, launching nonstop flights to Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo-Narita in 2025 and London, Rome and Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2026.
The SeaTac-headquartered carrier’s global growth kicked off in 2024 when Alaska acquired Hawaiian Airlines and, with it, a fleet of widebody planes that could comfortably travel across the Pacific. The acquisition also meant Alaska is no longer “proudly all Boeing.” It inherited Hawaiian’s fleet of widebody planes from Boeing’s European rival Airbus.
The new order announced Wednesday will bring Alaska’s 787 widebody fleet to 17, with five already in operation. Following the Hawaiian acquisition, the airline also has 24 widebody A330s.
The new order will bring the total fleet for Alaska Air Group from 413 aircraft to 475 planes by 2030 and 550 by 2035. Alaska Air Group includes Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, regional carrier Horizon Air and ground support company McGee Air Services.
“This fleet investment builds on the strong foundation Alaska has created,” CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement. “These planes will fuel our expansion to more destinations across the globe and ensure our guests travel aboard the newest, most fuel-efficient and state-of-the art aircraft.”
The 737 MAX 10s Alaska ordered have not yet been certified to carry passengers by the Federal Aviation Administration. The new MAX variant, which will be larger than the MAX planes flying today, has been delayed for years as Boeing worked to address an issue with the engine anti-ice system and navigates a strict regulatory process.
Boeing expects the MAX 10 and another variant, the MAX 7, will be certified this year.
Alaska’s order allows the airline to switch to a different MAX model “if necessary,” the carrier said in a news release.
On Wednesday, Alaska and Boeing executives will also unveil the first 787 painted in Alaska’s new global livery. The design is inspired by the aurora borealis, with a palette of midnight blues and emerald greens and flowing aura lines, Alaska said.
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