The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has superseded other widebody models in the Boeing lineup, including the upcoming 777X, thanks to its exceptional popularity among long-haul carriers. The plane’s advanced engineering, design, and innovative construction methods have made it exceptionally efficient compared to legacy airframes. That has made it one of the most operationally flexible twin-aisle airliners in service.
Boeing has struggled in this decade by comparison to Airbus, especially with its 737 MAX next generation narrowbody, but also due to the 777X certification being delayed by what is now expected to be seven years. As the company has languished under the duress caused by these two ill-fated programs, the 787 has been a saving grace. That hasn’t stopped Airbus from performing exceptionally well in its own right.
The Airbus A350 with its different variants, represents stiff competition, especially with the 777X not yet on the market. The A350 range includes aircraft in different sizes that compete with the 787-10 and other Boeing models; however, the 787 has proved to be more popular in terms of order volume since its debut. Even as the A350 has proven itself to be a similarly efficient and capable jetliner, the Dreamliner continues to hold a strong command of the market.
The Bottom Line, Up Front
Comparing nuts to bolts, the 787 Dreamliner is smaller than the A350XWB. That difference is crucial to why its sales have surpassed those of the A350. The airplane has been in service for a few years longer; however, its sales are nearly double compared to the European Twin Aisle. Because the Dreamliner fills a gap between larger narrowbody aircraft and entry-level widebody capacity, it has found strong favor with many airlines.
That has been crucial for Boeing over the last few years as both its latest and greatest narrowbody and big widebody have proven to be financially unstable programs. The 787 Dreamliner has not experienced any of the challenges seen in either of those two programs. The 787 set new industry standards for fuel efficiency and passenger comfort that subsequent widebody aircraft designs, including the A350, had to match or exceed to remain competitive.
|
Statistic |
Boeing 787 Dreamliner |
Airbus A350 |
|---|---|---|
|
Total Orders |
~2,277 |
~1,447 |
|
Total Deliveries |
~1,229 |
~682 |
|
In-Service Date |
2011 |
2015 |
In November, Stephanie Pope, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, remarked on the groundbreaking of its South Carolina (BSC) site expansion.
“We continue to see strong demand for the 787 Dreamliner family and its market-leading efficiency and versatility. We are making this significant investment today to ensure Boeing is ready to meet our customers’ needs in the years and decades ahead.”
Airbus was already working on the A330neo upgrade based on its existing twinjet widebody when the launch of the 787 received such an overwhelming market response and order volume that the European playmaker reconsidered its focus and invested in a clean-sheet design that became the A350XWB.
One of the most important differences between the 787 Dreamliner and every other widebody aircraft made by Airbus, or Boeing for that matter, is that the extremely efficient operational cost of the 787-8 allows it to profitably fly “long and thin routes” that no other widebody can. Airbus’ closest competition in this segment is with the A321LR and A321XLR long-range narrowbody jets.
A major advantage the 787 offers operators is that it costs just a little more than a large narrowbody to fly, yet offers all the benefits of a widebody. That means capacity and comfort, which translates directly to flexibility between high-density routes and seasonal or thinner itineraries. That also means that carriers can equip the jet with both premium and affordable cabin products.
Airbus does not have a direct equivalent to the smaller 787 Dreamliners; this is the key strength of the 787 family for Boeing. Even when comparing the larger 787-10 with the smaller A350-900, many operators choose the Dreamliner thanks to fleet commonality and legacy investment in Boeing products and infrastructure.
An Analysis Of The 787
The 787 Dreamliner was the beginning of a new era, as Boeing moved away from the predominantly aluminum construction of aircraft like the 767 and 777. The Dreamliner is composed of around 50% composite materials by weight. That makes the aircraft lighter, stronger, and lower in maintenance. Not only does it increase fuel efficiency by 20 to 25%, but it also reduces maintenance costs even further.
The Dreamliner is the first clean-sheet design from Boeing in decades, the product of an intensive effort to revitalize the company’s commercial aircraft lineup. Controversially, the European Union, on behalf of Airbus, began a long-running trade case filed with the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding its development.
|
Feature |
787-10 |
|---|---|
|
Length |
224 feet (68.28 meters) |
|
Wingspan |
197 feet (60.1 meters) |
|
Fuselage Width |
18 feet, 11 inches (5.75 meters) |
|
Typical Passenger Capacity |
330 (2-class configuration) |
|
Maximum Passenger Capacity |
Up to 440 seats in high-density |
|
Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) |
254 tons (560,000 pounds) |
The EU’s complaint to the WTO, initiated in 2004, alleged that Boeing received billions of dollars in unfair government support, including research and development (R&D) contracts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The US filed a parallel complaint against the EU for its “launch aid” (repayable government loans) to Airbus for models like the A380 and A350. The WTO found both sides guilty of providing illegal subsidies.
How The Boeing 747-8 Has Held Up Since Its Launch 20 Years Ago
The freighter variant of the 747-8 got over three times as many orders as the passenger version.
Airbus’ Extra-Widebody By The Numbers
The A350 is bigger than the 787 Dreamliner, as it was designed for a larger passenger and cargo capacity, but it also has a longer range. That has made it the preferred choice for ultra-long-haul and high-capacity flight routes. Its disadvantage lies in its lack of versatility, owing to higher operating costs, which pose risks for carriers if they are unable to fill the plane before it takes off.
Each aircraft offers exceptionally superior cabin comfort features, thanks to similar modernization efforts such as lower cabin pressure, higher humidity, and better lighting. In addition to a refined space that makes it feel larger and more comfortable, the A350 is known for its exceptionally quiet cabin.
|
Specification |
A350-900 |
A350-1000 |
|---|---|---|
|
Max Pax seating |
440 seats |
480 seats |
|
Typical 3-class configuration |
332-352 seats |
375-400 seats |
|
Range |
8,500 nautical miles (15,750 kilometers) |
9,000 nautical miles (16,700 kilometers) |
|
Cruise Mach |
0.85 |
0.85 |
|
Overall length |
219 feet, 2 inches (66.80 meters) |
242 feet (73.78 meters) |
|
Wing span (geometric) |
212 feet, 5 inches (64.75 meters) |
212 feet, 5 inches (64.75 meters) |
|
Height |
55 feet, 11 inches (17.05 meters) |
56 feet, 4 inches (17.08 meters) |
The 2011 to 2012 rulings by the WTO found that NASA’s payments to Boeing constituted actionable subsidies. The panel concluded that without NASA’s R&D and subsidies, Boeing would not have been able to launch the 787 with all its novel technologies.
However, the panel also found that the EU had taken similar actions to assist Airbus in developing the A350 and A380. The 17-year dispute saw billions of dollars worth of retaliatory tariffs imposed by the US and the EU against one another, only coming to a close in 2021 when they agreed to a truce.
How The 777X Factors In
The Boeing 777X is positioned as a significantly larger, high-capacity aircraft compared to both the 787 and A350, targeting different market needs. The 787 is likely to remain Boeing’s better core product because of its greater operational flexibility for diverse route structures and its established track record in the current market environment, which favors efficiency over sheer size.
Notably, the vast majority of orders have come from Gulf carriers in the Middle East, such as Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways. None of the United States’ “big three” carriers (American, Delta, and United Airlines) has ordered a 777X, as it is considered too large to fit their network strategy.
The notoriously delayed Next Generation widebody is an evolution of the 777, unlike any other successor program in commercial aviation history. The plane features industry-first folding wingtips, a new composite wing, and larger windows than its predecessor, making it the first updated jet model to offer these features. It will have the most significant and most efficient turbofan engines ever made, however, it will still be a much more expensive jet to buy and fly than the 787.
Why Did Air France Retire The A380?
A look at why the A380 wasn’t a good fit for the French national carrier.
Is An A350-2000 Coming?
The Airbus A350-2000 is currently only a potential development or a “paper airplane” concept being studied by Airbus, not an official product launch. If launched, it would change the market by offering an A350-based competitor to the highest-capacity segment of the market currently targeted by the Boeing 777-9X.
Airbus confirmed that it is still studying the possibility of this very large twin jet while at the Dubai Air Show 2025. The big jet would offer commonality with the A350 family’s smaller models and fill the gap left by the discontinued A380 super jumbo. So, it is unlikely to pose a market challenge to the 787 Dreamliner.
The fact that it would not directly compete with the Dreamliner, but would make the track sales from the 777X, would continue to put the 787 at the forefront of Boeing’s most reliable products today. The 787’s established position in a wider range of market segments and its operational maturity would likely ensure its continued success as Boeing’s main widebody “workhorse,” while the A350-2000 would serve a more specialized, albeit high-volume, niche.
