Boeing managed to catch lightning in a bottle with the 767. It was popular with airlines, and a worthy rival to the Airbus A300. It even found a second life as a perfect freighter conversion aircraft. However, attempts to modernize the jet or even build a new one to match it from the ground up were met with mixed results. That is until Boeing brought the 787-8 Dreamliner to market.

Despite the Boeing 767-400ER being in the same 'class' as the Boeing 787-8, the latter has outsold the former by 10-1, even accounting for differences in availability and production runs. Let's take a closer look at what the reason behind this could be.

Boeing 767-400ER vs Boeing 787-8

Barring some obvious differences, such as the fact the Boeing 767 flew for the first time 40 years ago in 1982 and the Dreamliner only 13 years ago in 2009, what are some of the main features that set the aircraft apart from one another? Let's have a peek at the technical specifications of the 767-400ER and the 787-8 side by side.

Keeping in mind that the Boeing 767-400ER was built in 2000 and the 787-8 was built in 2009, the differences in design principles between the two are quite clear when considering their specifications. For example, the 787-8 has a greater wingspan than the 767 and is designed to be more fuel efficient. Meanwhile, the 767 is longer than the 787 but cannot carry that many more passengers.

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Passengers

When looking specifically at passenger capacity, the two jets are indeed very close, which would not be the case if we were comparing other models from the same series. The Boeing 767-400ER is actually the largest version of the 767, while the 787-8 is the smallest out of Boeing's Dreamliner 787 series.

Both aircraft have their passengers in a dual-aisle configuration. However, the 787 is much more spacious, offering a cabin width of 5.49m, whereas the 767 came with a 4.72 m cabin width. Thus, the 787 can be shorter but still fit more or less the same amount of passengers.

Of course, when it comes to passenger experience, it would be amiss of us not to mention that the 787 is far more comfortable to fly in, with better air pressure, bigger windows, more overhead bin space, and a multitude of different passenger improvements. So we have pretty much a draw on the number, but the 787 beats its predecessor when it comes to comfort.

Range

Despite having the name 767-400 'Extra Range', the ER is left in the dust by the mighty 787-8, which can fly an extra 4,000 km. This is the equivalent of San Diego to New York on top of the range of the 767. Somewhat of a walkover for the 787-8.

Fuel efficiency

This is somewhat of a moot point, as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is famous for being a highly fuel-efficient widebody. Boeing originally stated that the Dreamliner would be 20% more fuel efficient than the 767 for fuel burn per seat mile. This efficiency improvement was achieved through newer engine technology and wider and composite material wings. The actual fuel savings, meanwhile, depend on the characteristics of the route and load factors.

Which is more popular?

When it comes to popularity, the figures from Boeing's own orders and deliveries log speak pretty clearly.

• 767-400ER orders: 59
• 787-8 orders: 656

As we can see, the Boeing 787-8 has been far more popular with airlines than the 767-400ER ever was. Part of this can be explained by the fact that the 787-8 was announced only a year after the 767-400ER took to the skies. As the industry was in a downturn at the time, airlines were looking for an aircraft that would be cheaper to operate. The 787-8 thus ate into the segment of the market previously occupied by the larger 767 variant.

We could argue that the 787 does seem to be much better than the 767 for airlines, but also that the 767-400ER never really got a fair chance due to market forces and timing.

What have your experiences with the two jets been? Leave a comment below and share your Boeing widebody stories.

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  Boeing

  Stock Code:

  BA

  Date Founded:

  1916-07-15

  CEO:

  Dave Calhoun

  Headquarters Location:

  Chicago, USA

  Key Product Lines:

  Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787

  Business Type:

  Planemaker