The 787-9 is the stretched, longer-range Dreamliner and the most common 787 model, seating about 280 to 300 passengers. United and American fly it on long international routes, Alaska flies the former Hawaiian Airlines fleet, and many foreign airlines operate it into US gateways.
787-9 at a glance
- First flight
- 2013
- Length
- 206 ft 1 in (62.8 m)
- Wingspan
- 197 ft 3 in (60.1 m)
- Engines
- 2 × GE GEnx-1B or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 turbofans
- Seats
- ~280–300
- Cruise speed
- ~488 kt (562 mph) / Mach 0.85
- Service ceiling
- 43,000 ft
- Range
- ~7,500 nmi
How to recognize the 787-9
The 787-9 has all the Dreamliner signatures with a longer, better-balanced body than the 787-8.
- Cockpit windows: four large windows instead of the usual six, with a curved, smooth nose.
- Engines: large GEnx-1B or Trent 1000 engines with sawtooth chevrons on the nacelle's rear edge.
- Wings: long, slender and raked, with no winglets. They bend upward noticeably in flight, especially after takeoff with a full fuel load.
- Length: about 20 ft longer than the 787-8, so it looks less glider-like.
- Windows: large dimmable cabin windows, larger than most airliners'.
- Landing gear: two four-wheel main bogies.
- Tail: a smooth, tapered tail cone and tall fin.
- Sound: very quiet for its size.
The A350-900 is the 787-9's direct competitor. The A350 has a black cockpit window surround, curved upturned wingtips and no engine chevrons.
On takeoff and landing, the long, flexible wing and chevron engines give the 787-9 an elegant, quiet look, and the wingtips visibly bend upward as the wing takes the weight. On the ground, the smooth nose and four-window cockpit give it a friendlier face than older Boeings. At altitude it leaves two contrails like any twin-jet, so the type code in the live feed is the easiest confirmation.
Where and when you'll see it
United (callsign UAL) flies a large 787-9 fleet from San Francisco, Houston, Newark, Chicago, Denver and Washington Dulles. American (AAL) flies them from Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles. Alaska (ASA) inherited Hawaiian Airlines' 787-9s with the merger, and foreign operators include Air New Zealand, Qantas, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada, Etihad, KLM and many others.
Cruise is typically FL350 to FL410. On ADS-B the type code is B789 with a heavy emitter category. Evening departures from San Francisco and Los Angeles to Asia and the Pacific frequently use 787-9s.
Many airlines use the 787-9 on the longest routes in their network, so you may see one climbing out of a US gateway on a 14- to 17-hour flight to Asia, Australia or the Middle East. Evening departures to Asia from the West Coast and to Europe from the East Coast are especially common.
Easily confused with
- Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner: The 787-8 is about 20 ft shorter, with a stubbier body for the same wing.
- Airbus A350-900: The A350-900 has a black cockpit window mask and curled wingtips.
- Boeing 777-200 / 777-200ER: The 777-200ER has six-wheel gear, a blade tail cone and no engine chevrons.
Quick facts
- Air New Zealand was the launch customer for the 787-9 in 2014.
- Qantas uses 787-9s for nonstop flights between Perth and London of more than 17 hours.
- The 787-9 is the most-delivered Dreamliner variant.
787-9 questions
What is the difference between the 787-8 and 787-9?
The 787-9 is about 20 ft longer, carries more passengers and has slightly more range. Both share the same wingspan and engines.
Which US airlines fly the 787-9?
United and American fly 787-9s, and Alaska flies the former Hawaiian Airlines 787-9 fleet.
Cities where it's a regular
New York City · Los Angeles · Chicago · Dallas–Fort Worth · Houston · Washington, D.C. · Miami · Boston · San Francisco · Seattle · San Diego · Orlando · Las Vegas · Honolulu
Spot one live
Open the live sky tool and look for B789 in the type column, or browse the live map on airplanes.live.