Summary

• The Boeing 787 brought a new era of composite construction and efficiency that Airbus had to catch up with.
• The 787 focused on efficiency with the use of composite materials, more efficient engines, and aerodynamic upgrades.
• The success of the 787 affected Airbus' plans and led to the development of the A350XWB, but the 787 remains ahead in deliveries.

The Boeing 787 is a great aircraft and has been a success for Boeing and operating airlines. Launching a new clean-sheet aircraft to follow the incredibly successful 777 was a bold move for Boeing. But doing so brought in a new era of composite construction and efficient operation that Airbus has had to catch up with.

Moving on from the 777

Boeing has seen great success with the 777. It first flew in 1994 and has gone on to become the most-sold widebody aircraft to date. However, the manufacturer was soon considering its next development and chose to move in a different direction. It set its focus on improving efficiency and lowering operating costs for airlines.

This was a bold move at the time. Airbus was also looking at its future aircraft plans and was developing the A380 as the largest passenger jet to date. This was based on confidence in the growth of high-capacity routes and hub-based operations. Boeing had the 747, of course, to compete with this, but Airbus would be far ahead in capacity with the new A380.

Read the latest Boeing news here.

Focus on efficiency

The 787 project, first launched as the 7E7 in January 2003, focussed on developing a new, clean-sheet aircraft with a 200-300 capacity range. It aimed to offer around a 20% efficiency improvement over the similar-sized Boeing 767. The clean-sheet design that led to this included:

• Use of composite materials. The 787 was the first major commercial aircraft to use carbon fiber composite components in the fuselage and wing construction. This makes the aircraft lighter but still offers high strength. It offers a 20% weight reduction compared to conventional construction (according to Boeing). It also reduces the required maintenance of the fuselage due to fatigue and corrosion.
• More efficient engines. The General Electric GEnx or the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine provides around 40% of the efficiency improvement. The engine choice also sets this apart from Airbus.
• Aerodynamic upgrades include raked wingtips to reduce vortex drag.

Changes to variants

The 787 was originally conceived with three different variants. The 787-8 was the first to enter service in October 2011 (with Japanese airline ANA), and the larger 787-9 followed in September 2013.

A 787-3 variant was part of the launch line-up and would feature the same sized fuselage as the 787-8 but increased capacity. Boeing dropped the variant in 2010 with limited interest and program delays.

The larger 787-10 variant followed later, with the first delivery to Singapore Airlines in 2018. This took typical capacity up to 330 (from 290 for the 787-9) and was better able to compete with the Airbus A350-900 in this respect.

Global construction

The clean-sheet design of the 787 brought with it a different approach to construction for Boeing. It introduced more spread-out production, with suppliers in several countries and two US production lines. It was originally assembled at Boeing's Everett facility (along with all other Boeing widebodies).

A second assembly line was added at North Charleston, South Carolina, in 2011 to handle the increased production rate. The 787-10 was only produced in Charleston, and following the slowdown in production, Boeing moved all production there. The last 787 at Everett was completed in February 2021.

But components are constructed in several locations in the US globally. For example, the 787's wings and central wing box are produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan. And fuselage sections are built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan, and Alenia Aeronautica, Italy. Boeing introduced the Dreamlifter fuselage transport aircraft (based on a modified 747-400) to facilitate the transport of these components to the final assembly lines.

Airbus followed with the A350XWB

A good way to appreciate the success of Boeing's decisions for the 787 focus and its efficient, clean-sheet design is to look at how it affected Airbus's plans. Airbus's attention at the time was on the development, and sales, of the A380. It was also developing its lower capacity widebody offering. Before the launch (and success) of the Boeing 787, Airbus had been planning a new mid-capacity widebody based on the A330. However, it changed this to a clean-sheet design to take advantage of similar efficiency improvements as the 787. The new Airbus A350XWB was announced at the Farnborough Air Show in 2006.

This late decision lost ground to Boeing. The A350XWB did not enter service until 2015 (with Qatar Airways), four years after the Boeing 787. The 787 remains ahead in deliveries.

By January 2024, Boeing has delivered 1115 Boeing 787 aircraft (826 remain on order). Airbus has delivered 590 A350 aircraft (with 641 more on order). This is based on data from ch-aviation.com.

What comes next for the Boeing 787?

Despite reports of the first two (non-test bed) 787 aircraft being scrapped in 2023, there is still plenty of life left in the program. Many aircraft remain on order, and competition with Airbus is intense. Plenty of orders are still being placed - just at the end of 2023, there was an order from LATAM for five more aircraft, and Emirates increased its order at the 2023 Dubai Airshow.

In terms of aircraft developments or new variants, nothing has yet been confirmed. Any return to the likes of 787-3 seems unlikely, but much depends on plans as Boeing revisits its plans for a mid-market NMA (New Midsize Aircraft).

A 787 freighter variant has long been discussed and remains a possibility. Boeing hinted once again at this in mid-2023 when discussing the life of the 767 freighter. Of course, a 777X freighter variant is planned, but there could still be room for this. Challenges with the composite construction and cargo doors remain, however.

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The 787 has been a great success for Boeing and started a new era in efficient design and lower emissions. Feel free to discuss its highs and lows further in the comments.

• 

  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