Summary
- Boeing's 787-10 is the largest member of the Dreamliner family but is the least successful in terms of operators and range.
- The 787-10 has a larger capacity but a shorter range compared to its smaller counterparts.
- United Airlines is the largest operator of the 787-10, followed by Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways, KLM, EVA Air, and many more.
The Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner is the largest of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family. It was also the last of the three models to enter service, with the first delivery to Singapore Airlines in March 2018. Five years into its history, the aircraft still has a relatively limited number of operators, and it is the least successful of the three (with the 787-9 being the most successful).
The Dreamliner with the most capacity for the shortest range
Indeed, the 787-10 is less popular than its smaller brothers, the 787-8 and 787-9. While the -10 can carry 336 passengers in a two-class configuration, 40 more passengers than the -9 and 88 more than the -8, this stretch came at a cost to the aircraft's range. Where the 787-8 can travel up to 7,305 nautical miles (13,530 kilometers), and the 787-9 can fly 7,565 nautical miles (14,010 kilometers), the -10 only has a range of 6,330 nautical miles (11,730 kilometers).
With this shorter range and larger capacity, the 787-10 competes against another Boeing long-haul aircraft, the 777, instead of opening new frontiers, like the smaller members of the Dreamliner family. What has made the 787-8 and 787-9s so popular is that they are apt to operate longer and skinnier routes, ones that don't easily fill the cabins of bigger jets.
The 787-10 is also not a completely accurate competitor against the Airbus A350, which is why Boeing has been reportedly linked to possibly boosting the 787-10s range through the 787-10ER.
How many 787-10 Dreamliners have been delivered?
Using data from ch-aviation, we see that a total of 92 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners have been delivered since 2018. Of this number, 88 are currently active. The US manufacturer still has to deliver 174 additional jets of this model.
The most considerable amount of deliveries of the 787-10 took place in 2019, when Boeing delivered 34. In 2023, it has delivered 19, recovering from both the COVID-19 pandemic and the issues faced by the Dreamliner family in the last few years. For example, KLM received a never-used but three-year-old 787-10 in 2023. So, who operates the Dreamliner -10 at the moment? Let's find out.
United Airlines
This US carrier is currently the largest operator of the Boeing 787-10. It has received a total of 21 aircraft of this model, completing its order for the model. UA operates about 196 weekly flights with the 787-10, according to data from Cirium. This model can be seen in flights from Newark (EWR) to Brussels, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, and Lisbon, as well as in flights from Chicago O'Hare to Brussels, Frankfurt, Sao Paulo Guarulhos, Tokyo Haneda, Honolulu, and Munich.
Singapore Airlines
The launch operator of the aircraft, Singapore Airlines, currently has 20 Dreamliner 10s on its fleet, with 18 being active as of November 2023.
Etihad Airways
According to data from ch-aviation, the Abu Dhabi-based carrier currently has ten 787-10s. Etihad Airways operates 129 weekly flights with this fleet, which can be seen in routes from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bangkok, Mumbai, Delhi, Dubai, Rome, Frankfurt, Phuket, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid, Manchester, Manila, Munich, Milan, Singapore, Moscow, and Vienna.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Similar to Etihad Airways, KLM has a fleet of ten Boeing 787-10s as of November 2023, with five more coming in the future.
The airline operates 120 weekly flights with the model, serving plenty of destinations from Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport (AMS), such as Bogota, Mumbai, Delhi, New York JFK, Kilimanjaro, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago O'Hare, Panama, San Francisco, and Toronto.
EVA Air
The Taipei-based carrier has nine Dreamliner 10s. It also hopes to receive an additional four in the future. Eva Air has an interesting story with this model: this year, the government of Seattle, in the United States, asked the carrier to employ the 787-10 in flights to its city instead of the louder 777 in an attempt to reduce the noise impact.
Beyond Seattle, Eva Air employs the 787-10s in 178 weekly flights to destinations such as Bangkok, Brisbane, Fukuoka, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Seoul Incheon, Osaka-Kansai, Tokyo Narita, Chengdu, Tokyo Haneda, and Shanghai.
Saudia
The Saudi Arabian flag carrier is set to become one of the largest operators in the model, with 21 on order. However, it has eight at the moment, including one with a stunning retro livery.
British Airways
The UK-based company, a member of the International Airlines Group, has a fleet of seven Dreamliner 10s, with more to come in the future. The last of these planes arrived in June 2023.
These widebody jets operate 89 weekly flights for British Airways. They can be seen in routes from London Heathrow (LHR) to Boston, Dubai, Washington, New York JFK, Kuwait, Lagos, and Riyadh.
Vietnam Airlines
The Vietnamese carrier currently operates a fleet of four Dreamliner 10s. Along with its Dreamliner 9 fleet, Vietnam Airlines has a long-haul fleet of 15 Dreamliners.
All Nippon Airways (ANA)
Finally, the Japanese company All Nippon Airways has a fleet of three Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners. These planes are operated on 14 weekly flights, according to Cirium. The company uses these jets to fly to and from Tokyo Narita (NRT) and Manila in the Philippines.
How about future deliveries?
A total of 174 additional 787-10s are set to be delivered in the future. As mentioned above, Boeing's largest unfilled customer of the model at the moment is Saudia, with 21 examples waiting to be delivered. Korean Air and Etihad Airways are waiting for 20 planes each. Other customers include Air Canada (18 unfilled orders), Emirates (15), Singapore Airlines (11), British Airways (11), and All Nippon Airways (11).
Overall, once Boeing delivers the complete backlog of 787-10s, there will be 16 customers (versus nine at the moment). Airlines that currently don't have any 787-10s but will include Air Canada, Air New Zealand, China Airlines, Emirates, Korean Air, Qantas, and TAAG Angola Airlines.
Have you ever been onboard a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner? How was the experience? Let us know in the comments below.
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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
