The first 787 to enter service in 2011, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is so far the second most popular 787 variant, behind the longer -9. The -8 is the epitome of a long-and-skinny-route aircraft and was a key factor in further evolving the economics of modern air travel. So which airlines operate this long-distance aircraft?
The second best seller
Looking at Boeing’s order book, we can see that a total of 1,882 Dreamliners have been ordered by airlines, governments, and private customers around the world. Here’s how the three models compare in terms of orders logged:
- 787-8: 661 (35.1%)
- 787-9: 1,009 (53.6%)
- 787-10: 202 (10.7%)
The aircraft entered service with Japanese carrier ANA in 2011 and has been ordered by airlines around the world – from Air Canada to Ethiopian Airlines to Jetstar Airways in Australia.
The largest fleets
While the list of 787-8 operators is fairly long, the following airlines offer the largest fleets of the type, according to Planespotters.net.
- Air India: 27. With the airline soon to launch service from Delhi to Chicago and San Francisco, the airline’s 787-8 could be a strong candidate to operate the new services.
- American Airlines: 23. The airline is still to put more 787s into service. The carrier took delivery of three so far this year, with the latest coming just this past October.
- ANA (All Nippon Airways): 36. The launch customer and largest operator for the type, this Japanese carrier has flown the 787-8 to cities as far away as San Jose, Seattle, and Mexico City.
- Ethiopian Airlines: 19. Historically, the carrier has flown the aircraft to far-flung destinations like Sao Paolo, Toronto, and Beijing.
- Japan Airlines: 27. The airline also took delivery of a brand new 787-8 this year.
- Qatar Airways: 30. The Middle Eastern carrier has flown its Dreamliners as far away as London and Perth and also as close as Dubai and Kuwait.
Other operators
- Aeromexico
- Air Austral
- Air Canada
- Air Europa
- Air Tanzania
- Avianca
- Azerbaijan Airways
- Biman Bangladesh
- British Airways
- China Southern
- El Al
- Hainan Airlines
- Jetstar Airways
- Kenya Airways
- LATAM
- LOT Polish
- Norwegian
- Oman Air
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Brunei Airlines
- Royal Jordanian
- Scoot
- Thai Airways
- TUI
- United Airlines
- Uzbekistan Airways
- Xiamen Airlines
- ZIPAIR (which come from parent company Japan Airlines)
The Dreamliner was indeed a gamechanger when it was launched a decade ago. Despite a rough entry into service due to various issues, it has gone on to fly some impressive routes.
With an impressive range of 13,530 km (8,400 miles), the 787-8’s long-distance capabilities made possible by its smaller capacity has proven a valuable asset in light of the events of 2020.
Have you flown on the Boeing 787-8 yet? Please share your experience with us by leaving a comment!
