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Boeing 787 'Dreamliner'

The Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’ is a twin-engine wide-body airliner that first flew in December 2009. It was then introduced into service with launch customer All Nippon Airways in October 2011. The B787 is manufacturered at Boeing’s Everett factory in Seattle. There are two engine options available for B787 operators, including the General Electric GEnx-1B and Rolls-Royce Trent 1000.

History & development

The Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’ is used by some of the world’s largest airlines and operates some of the longest commercial flights in the world. There are currently three variants in the B787 family, including the B787-8B787-9 and B787-10. Boeing also offer the B787-8 and -9 as a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) option. The aircraft’s design utilizes composite materials and is notable for its serrated engine nacelles, smoothly contoured nose and raked wingtips. The B787-9 has the longest range of the three types, with the longest operated B787 flight being Qantas flight QF9, Peth (PER) to London Heathrow (LHR), a distance of over 9,000 miles and an average flight time of over 17hrs.

Latest B787 news

Qantas’ QF28 winds its way south

Qantas’ QF28 took the far southern route between Santiago and Sydney yesterday, overflying the coast of Antarctica. The flight normally passes over the Southern Pacific Ocean only as far south as 70°, yesterday’s flight flew to 74.17°S due to the flight avoiding strong headwinds along the normal flight path. ETOPS at the “bottom” of the world Qantas’ QF28 between Santiago

Currently airborne B787s

Flight tracking focus

The Boeing B787 is an aircraft that continually sees flight tracking interest. As one of the newest Boeing commercial airplane models and has a fan following wherever it goes. The sleek lines of the B787 make it standout at any airport, and the onboard passenger experience is typically excellent. The B787-9 also regularly operates some of the world’s longest commercial flights with the likes of Air New ZealandQantas and United Airlines all utilising the aircraft on route pairings such as New York JFK (JFK) – Auckland (AKL), Darwin (DRW) – London Heathrow (LHR) and Delhi (DEL) – Chicago (ORD).

B787 facts & figures

Built
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Passenger Review (out of 5)
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4.7/5
Operators Worldwide
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Cruise speed (knots)
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B787 family specification

VariantB787-8B787-9B787-10
Engines2 x Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 or General Electric GEnx-1B2 x Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 or General Electric GEnx-1B2 x Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 or General Electric GEnx-1B
Height16.92 m / 55.6 ft17.02 m / 55.10 ft17.02 m / 55.10 ft
Length56.7 m / 186.1 ft62.8 m / 206.1 ft68.2 m / 224.0 ft
Wingspan60.12m / 197.3 ft60.12m / 197.3 ft60.12m / 197.3 ft
Cruise / Maximum speedMach 0.85 / 0.90Mach 0.85 / 0.90Mach 0.85 / 0.90
Range13,620 km / 7,355 nm14,140 km / 7,635 nm11,910 km / 6,430 nm
Passenger capacity242-381290-420330-440
Cargo capacity28 LD3 or 9 pallets
36 LD3 or 11 pallets 40 LD3 or 13 pallets

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B787 frequently asked questions

As of December 2022 there are currently 79 operators of the Boeing 787 worldwide. All Nippon Airways was the launch customer of the 787-8, Air New Zealand the B787-9 and Singapore Airlines the B787-10.

The range of the B787 differs between the variants. The B787-8 has a range of 7,355nm (13,620km) whilst the B787-9 has a range of 7,635nm (14,140km) and the B787-10 6,430 (11,910km). The B787-9 with the longest range in the family can be seen operating some of the longest flights in the World.

Airlines and operators have different seating layouts but the maximum number of passengers that the B787-8 can carry in a 1-class format is 381, the B787-9 has a capacity for 420 and the B787-10 can hold 440.

The price of a B787 depends on a number of factors but the list prices provided by Boeing have the B787-8 at $248m, the B787-9 at $293m and the B787-10, the most expensive, at $338m.

The service ceiling of the B787-8 and -9 is 43,100ft (13,100m) whilst the larger B787-10 has a slightly lower ceiling of 41,100ft (12,500m).

Header image © Kevin Cargo