Is the Dreamliner an Airbus or Boeing aircraft?
The Dreamliner is a Boeing aircraft, not an Airbus. Its full name is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a twin-engine, wide-body airliner designed mainly for medium- and long-haul routes. The family comprises the 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10; every Dreamliner variant is manufactured by Boeing.
For Aviation & Real-World Flying identification—and in a simulator’s aircraft menu—anything labelled 787 or Dreamliner belongs under Boeing. Dreamliner is the aircraft family’s marketing name, not a separate manufacturer.
What is the Dreamliner’s full aircraft name?
The complete name is Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The 787 sits within Boeing’s modern wide-body range, alongside the company’s other aircraft covered in our overview of Boeing commercial aircraft families.
A useful naming clue is that Boeing jet families generally use designations such as 737, 747, 777 and 787. Airbus model names begin with an A, such as A320, A330 or A350.
Which Boeing 787 Dreamliner variants are there?
There are three production Dreamliner variants, and all three are Boeing aircraft.
| Variant | Relative size | ICAO type code |
|---|---|---|
| 787-8 | Shortest | B788 |
| 787-9 | Intermediate | B789 |
| 787-10 | Longest | B78X |
The variants differ in fuselage length, passenger capacity and operating range. Our comparison of the three 787 versions explains those trade-offs without confusing the variant number with the manufacturer.
Is there an Airbus Dreamliner?
No—Airbus does not manufacture a Dreamliner. The Airbus A350 is often compared with the Boeing 787 because both are modern, twin-engine wide-body airliners, but the A350 is not an Airbus version of the Dreamliner.
This comparison causes much of the confusion. The two companies use different aircraft names, cockpit philosophies and product families, as outlined in our guide to the practical differences between Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
How can you distinguish a 787 from an Airbus A350?
A Boeing 787 has a four-panel cockpit windscreen, raked wingtips and serrated chevrons around the rear of its engine nacelles. An Airbus A350 usually stands out through its black cockpit-window surround and differently shaped upturned wingtips.
Livery and viewing angle can hide those clues, so use the fuselage model marking, aircraft documentation or ICAO type code when identification must be certain. In a flight simulator, search under Boeing or the codes B788, B789 and B78X rather than under Airbus.