Boeing 787-9 plane range – how far can it fly?

Boeing — Commercial

Boeing 787-9 Explore the 787-9's range on the map →

The Boeing 787-9 can fly up to 9,310 nautical miles (17,242 km) as a ferry flight with no payload. With a full load of passengers and cargo, the range drops to approximately 5,310 nm (9,834 km). At its cruise speed of 488 kt, that's about 19h 5m of non-stop flying at ferry weight, or 10h 53m fully loaded.

Range Specifications

Ferry Range
9,310 nm
17,242 km — 19h 5m
Max Payload Range
5,310 nm
9,834 km — 10h 53m
Cruise Speed
488 kt
true airspeed

Longest Recorded Flight

Qantas
Perth (PER) → London (LHR)
14,499 km · 9,009 mi · 7,829 nm

Physical Specifications

Length
62.81 m
206 ft
Wingspan
60.12 m
197 ft
MTOW
254,692 kg
561,499 lbs
Engine Model
GEnx-1B / Rolls-Royce Trent 1000
Max Seats
338
certified limit

Production

Delivered
761
Boeing 787-9
Unfilled Orders
734
backlog

Source: Boeing Orders & Deliveries, as of Aug 2026

Map showing flight range of Boeing 787-9 from PER

Range shown at max payload (full passenger load), with average wind conditions

About the 787-9

The 787-9 is the Dreamliner that everything else was building toward. A 6-metre fuselage stretch over the 787-8 adds 30 seats and minimal weight penalty - the -9's heavier structure is almost entirely offset by the efficiency gains from a slightly longer moment arm and better aerodynamic loading. The result is an aircraft that outsells its smaller sibling and larger sibling combined, and has become the default choice for airlines opening new long-haul routes or replacing aging widebodies.

The range records associated with the 787-9 are extraordinary. Air New Zealand connected Auckland with Buenos Aires on the type, covering 9,765 km of mostly ocean on a route that operates seasonally but proves the aircraft's reach. Norwegian used 787-9s to operate $99 one-way transatlantic fares between London and the US East Coast - the aircraft's fuel efficiency making budget long-haul economics work in a way that previous widebodies couldn't. Qantas uses it on Perth–London, the only nonstop flight between Australia and Europe, at 14,498 km - the longest nonstop sector by distance that regularly operates with a full passenger load.

Under the skin, the GEnx-1B or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines represent two competing approaches to the same efficiency target. The GEnx uses a carbon fiber composite fan case; the Trent 1000 uses a titanium fan. Both achieve roughly 20% better fuel burn than the engines they replace on comparable-size widebodies. The composite fuselage allows cabin windows 65% larger than aluminum equivalents - a detail passengers notice immediately and one that has influenced subsequent aircraft programs from the A350 onward.

Runway Requirements

Takeoff (MTOW)
9,500 ft
sea level, ISA, full weight
Takeoff (Empty)
5,200 ft
operating empty weight
Landing (MLW)
5,800 ft
sea level, ISA, dry runway

Related Reading

The Longest Flight in the World → Project Sunrise Explained → London to Auckland Nonstop → Engine Choice & Range → North Atlantic Tracks → Flight Planning vs. Flight Range → Why Transatlantic Narrowbodies Fly with Empty Seats → How Headwinds Shrink Your Range → Concorde's Fuel Math → Bag Transfers Explained → Alaska's Widebody Strategy → Alaska's Japan Routes → Alaska's Europe Routes →

Compare with

787-9 vs A330-900 → 787-9 vs A330-200 → 787-9 vs A350-900 → 787-9 vs 787-8 vs 787-10 → 787-9 vs 777-200ER → 787-9 vs 777X-9 →

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