Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner

Boeing · United States · first flew 2009 · airliner

The 787-8 is the original, shortest-fuselage Dreamliner, seating around 242 passengers and introducing composite construction, large windows and cabin humidification to commercial aviation.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbofan, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	Shortest 787 at 56.7 m — clearly less fuselage length than -9 or -10
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Shortest 787 at 56.7 m — clearly less fuselage length than -9 or -10
Sweeping upward-curved wingtips with no separate winglet; chevron engine nacelle edges
Smooth composite skin with no rivet lines; large oval passenger windows

Shorter than the -9 by 6.1 m — a meaningful length difference visible at the gate; same curving wingtips and chevron nacelles as all 787 variants, so fuselage window count is the key sibling differentiator.

Specifications

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner has a length of 56.7 m (186 ft).
It has a wingspan of 60.1 m (197 ft).
Its maximum speed is 954 km/h (593 mph).
Typical crew: 2 flight crew.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

All Nippon Airways launched the type in October 2011, three years late following widespread production problems. The -8 was the proof-of-concept variant; many operators have since transitioned to the longer -9. A total of 509 were ordered compared to over 800 for the -9.

Variants

All 787s share the composite wing and systems; the -8 is the shortest fuselage; Boeing Business Jet 787 is derived from it.

Where you'll see it

Active with ANA, Japan Airlines, British Airways, and numerous others on medium- and long-haul routes.

Related aircraft

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