Compare the Boeing 787-8 vs 787-9 vs 787-10 by size, seating, range, route role and spotting clues, with practical advice for simmers.
The 787-8 is the shortest Dreamliner and suits thinner long-haul routes; the 787-9 is longer, carries more passengers and has the greatest published range; the 787-10 is the longest and highest-capacity version but has the shortest range. All three share the same cabin cross-section and 60.1 m wingspan.
For our Aviation & Real-World Flying coverage, we use Boeing's published dimensions, typical two-class seating and nominal range. Seat counts and range are comparison figures, not guarantees: cabin layout, payload, cargo, weather, runway limits, alternates and reserve fuel all affect what an aircraft can carry and how far it can fly.
Boeing 787-8 vs 787-9 vs 787-10 specifications
Fuselage length, typical capacity and range are the main differences between the three passenger Dreamliners.
| Variant | Length | Typical two-class seating | Boeing published range | Primary role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 787-8 | 186 ft 1 in / 56.7 m | 248 passengers | 7,305 nmi / 13,530 km | Long, lower-demand routes |
| 787-9 | 206 ft 1 in / 62.8 m | 296 passengers | 7,565 nmi / 14,010 km | Broad long-haul route coverage |
| 787-10 | 224 ft / 68.3 m | 336 passengers | 6,330 nmi / 11,730 km | Dense routes not requiring maximum range |
The seating figures are Boeing's representative two-class layouts, not fixed capacities. An airline can fit substantially different numbers by changing seat pitch, premium-cabin size, galleys, lavatories and crew-rest areas.
The 787-9 is 20 ft (6.1 m) longer than the -8. The 787-10 adds another 17 ft 11 in (about 5.5 m), making it nearly 38 ft (11.6 m) longer than the original 787-8.
Which 787 variant fits which route?
The right variant depends on how many passengers and how much cargo must be carried over the required distance, rather than one model being universally better.
787-8 vs 787-9: what is the real difference?
The 787-9 is longer than the 787-8, carries roughly 48 more passengers in Boeing's reference layout and has 260 nmi more published range.
A common mistake is assuming that the smaller 787-8 must fly farther. Boeing's nominal figures give the range advantage to the 787-9. The -8's strength is right-sizing: it gives an airline Dreamliner range and cabin capability without requiring enough demand to fill the larger -9.
787-9 vs 787-10: range or capacity?
The 787-10 carries about 40 more passengers than the 787-9 but gives up 1,235 nmi of published range.
This makes the 787-9 the family's most versatile balance of reach and capacity, while the 787-10 is aimed at denser sectors where extra seats matter more than ultra-long-haul capability. Its longer body also makes rotation clearance and runway performance more significant; the -10 uses a semi-levered main landing-gear arrangement to help provide the required clearance during take-off.
787-8 vs 787-10: are they built for the same job?
The 787-8 and 787-10 sit at opposite ends of the family: the -10 is almost 38 ft longer and seats roughly 88 more people, while the -8 has 975 nmi more published range.
The -8 is suited to thinner long-distance routes where filling a larger cabin would be difficult. The -10 is the capacity choice for busy medium- and long-haul services that remain comfortably within its range and payload limits.
- Choose the 787-8 for lower passenger demand, long reach and a smaller wide-body cabin.
- Choose the 787-9 for the widest mix of long-haul routes, payload and seat capacity.
- Choose the 787-10 when demand is high and the route does not require the -9's extra reach.
What is the Boeing 787-9 range in nautical miles?
Boeing publishes the 787-9 range as 7,565 nautical miles, or approximately 14,010 km, the highest nominal figure in the passenger 787 family.
That number is not a hard-radius circle around an airport. The flown route can be longer than the great-circle distance, while winds, airways, payload, departure temperature, runway length, diversion airports and legally required reserves all alter the mission. Range is also tied to payload: maximum payload, full fuel and maximum range should not be treated as simultaneous assumptions.
In a simulator, use the aircraft's weight-and-balance and fuel predictions rather than entering 7,565 nmi as a guaranteed limit. Check take-off and landing weights, expected winds and planned arrival reserve before deciding that a sector is practical.
What stays the same across the 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10?
All three variants retain the Dreamliner's basic fuselage cross-section, external wingspan, cockpit philosophy and core passenger features.
- Wingspan: each variant spans about 197 ft 4 in (60.1 m), so span does not identify the model.
- Cabin cross-section: the fuselage width is shared, although each airline chooses its own seating density and cabin layout.
- Wing family: the basic planform and distinctive raked tips are common. Calling every wing physically identical would be too broad because structure, systems and production standards can differ.
- Flight deck: cockpit and systems commonality is high, and the variants share a type rating, with differences training and operator procedures applied where required.
- Engine choices: General Electric GEnx-1B and Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 family engines are associated with the 787 family; engine appearance alone does not reliably identify fuselage variant.
- Dreamliner cabin features: the composite-heavy airframe, large electronically dimmable windows and lower effective cabin altitude are family characteristics rather than -8, -9 or -10 distinctions.
How can you tell a 787-8 from a 787-9 or 787-10?
Overall fuselage length and the amount of body ahead of and behind the wing are the most dependable visual clues.
- Judge the overall proportions. The 787-8 looks compact for its wingspan, the -9 has balanced mid-length proportions, and the -10 has an unmistakably long fuselage.
- Look behind the wing. The -10 has the greatest visible stretch aft of the wing, while the -8 has the least.
- Do not use wingspan. All three have the same published span, and viewing angle can make one appear wider than another.
- Do not rely on windows or seating. Window blanks, crew-rest installations and airline-specific interiors make simple counting unreliable.
- Treat the route as a hint only. A long, thin service may suggest a -8 or -9 and a dense route may suggest a -10, but airline scheduling is not proof of the variant.
Do the 787 variants fly differently in a simulator?
The variants should differ in weight, payload, fuel performance, take-off behaviour and rotation geometry, but some add-ons reproduce only the different external fuselage lengths.
In FSX and Prepar3D, separate aircraft entries or liveries do not prove that each variant has distinct flight dynamics. Check the supplied documentation and, where appropriate, the variant's aircraft.cfg data for different weights, fuel capacity, loading stations and contact points. If all three use the same underlying performance model, their simulated results cannot demonstrate the real aircraft's differences.
Another frequent error is loading maximum passengers and full fuel into every model before comparing range. That may exceed weight limits and does not create a fair test. Use the same route, weather, reserves and cruise policy, keep each aircraft within its limits, and compare take-off performance, climb, fuel at destination and landing weight.
For studying the shapes side by side, our combined FSX and P3D package containing all three fuselage lengths makes the differences easy to see. Separate models provide a closer look at the short-body 787-8 proportions, the mid-length 787-9 configuration and the stretched 787-10 fuselage. Use these for visual comparison unless the individual package documentation confirms variant-specific systems and flight modelling.