On Tuesday, November 22nd, Boeing delivered a shiny new 787-10 Dreamliner to United Airlines. This latest delivery brings the 787-10 fleet size at United up to 15 aircraft. Sources note that the carrier is expecting another six of these stretched Dreamliners.

Transcontinental red-eye delivery

According to FlightRadar24.com, the aircraft registered as N13018 (MSN 66987/Line Number 1132) took off from Boeing facilities at Everett Paine Field (PAE) at 18:23 local time. The Boeing 787 then flew for four hours to touch down at Washington Dulles (IAD) at 01:24 the next morning.

The aircraft was delivered after completing a total of three pre-delivery flights totaling 10 hours and 37 minutes of time in the air. According to BOE Family Flights, this aircraft was first spotted on September 11th, 2022, and was then seen conducting its first test flight out of Charleston on October 31st. The aircraft's second pre-delivery flight was a ferry service from Charleston to Everett Paine Field on November 3rd. Then, on November 10th, the aircraft flew from Paine Field to Grant County International Airport (Moses Lake) and back.

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About United's Boeing 787-10 fleet

N13018 joins 14 other 787-10s flying for United Airlines. With the addition of this 15th 787-10, the average age of this sub-fleet is just over three years as of this article's publication. Planespotters.net notes that all of these stretched Dreamliners have an identical seating configuration which consists of 44 seats in its Polaris business class, 21 seats in Premium Plus, and 253 in economy class. However, SeatGuru notes that economy class further divides into 54 'Economy Plus' (extra legroom) seats and another 199 standard economy class seats.

United uses its 787-10s on a variety of routes, both domestic and international. You may find the aircraft flying within US borders with routes such as New York-Los Angeles, Chicago-Los Angeles, and Chicago-Honolulu. However, you might also see these jets going transoceanic, operating routes such as New York-Paris, New York-Tel Aviv, and Los Angeles-Tokyo. Out of Chicago, the aircraft serves European destinations like Brussels, Munich, and Frankfurt.

Will more 787-10s be coming soon?

United Airlines is expecting to take delivery of another six Boeing 787-10s at the time of this article's production. Indeed, it appears that the 787-10 registered N12020 will be the airline's 16th. However, it's worth noting that the airline is expected to place a massive widebody aircraft order before the end of the year.

While some anticipated orders can be fairly predictable, United's upcoming deal has a little more mystery behind it. The carrier does have a fairly stale Airbus A350 order that it has yet to officially cancel, but it might want to be the first US carrier to commit to the Boeing 777X.

At the same time, the airline operates all three Dreamliner variants and has been a repeat customer of the type and could simply want more of the same.

Have you flown on United's Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner yet? What do you think of the aircraft? Click on the blue 'chat' icon below and leave a comment!

Sources: Planespotters.net, FlightRadar24.com, ch-aviation.com, BOE Family Flights, SeatGuru

  • N14106 United Airlines (Her Art Here-California Livery) Boeing 757-224 (1)
    United Airlines
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    UA/UAL
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport, Guam International Airport, Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport
    Year Founded:
    1931
    Alliance:
    Star Alliance
    CEO:
    Scott Kirby
    Country:
    United States