Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 Comparison

Side-by-side view of the Boeing 787 (top) and Airbus A350 (below)

Side-by-side comparison of the Boeing 787 and the Airbus 350

Two of the newest, most innovative wide-body airliners currently on the market and in service are the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350. At first glance, they share many exterior similarities. Identification can be difficult ... on this website we discuss the differences in the two aircraft, and provide illustrations and photos to help identify them.

Development of the 787 Dreamliner

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a long-range, mid-size wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

The 787 was designed to be 20% more fuel efficient than the Boeing 767. Final assembly takes place at the Boeing Factory in Everett, Washington, and at the Boeing South Carolina factory in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Its variants seat 242 to 335 passengers in typical three-class seating configurations. It is Boeing's most fuel-efficient airliner and is a pioneering airliner with the use of composite materials as the primary material in the construction of its airframe.

Boeing 787-8 and 787-9

Saudia Boeing 787-10 (Photo courtesy of Boeing)

The 787-8 was the first variant produced, and was followed by the stretched 787-9. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aircraft type designator system classifies the 787-8 and 787-9 under the codes "B788" and "B789", respectively.

Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner

The 787-10, which is 18' longer than the 787-9, was unveiled on February 17, 2017, at the Boeing South Carolina assembly plant. Its first flight was on March 31, 2017.

Delivery of the first 787-10 was on March 25, 2018, to launch customer Singapore Airlines. United Airlines began passenger service with the 787-10 in early 2019. The 787-10 is being assembled only in South Carolina.

Boeing 787 Spotting Tips

The Dreamliner's distinguishing features include one engine under each wing, swept wings with no winglets, two 4-wheel main landing gear, a sleek pointed nose, and noise-reducing chevrons on its engine nacelles.

Also, the 787 does not have winglets or sharklets, which are used on the Airbus A350.

787-8 is 186-feet in length and is normally configured for 242 - 359 passengers.
787-9 is 20-feet longer than the 787-8, achieved by adding two additional five-frame (10-foot) extensions, one before the wing and one after, to increase the length from the 787-8. The most visible change from the 787-8 on the exterior is 5 additonal windows in front of the wing.
787-10 features an additional five-frame (10-foot) extension before the wing and one four-frame (8-foot) extension aft of the wing, closer to the tail. This increased the length of the 787-10 by 18-feet from the 787-9, and 38-feet from the 787-8. The most visible change from the 787-8 on the exterior is 10 additonal windows in front of the wing.

Shown below is a side-by-side comparison of the Boeing 787-8 (top), 787-9 (middle) and Boeing 787-10 (bottom).

Boeing 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10 comparison

Close-up view of the jagged trailing edge chevrons on the Boeing 787 engine housing.

Close-up view of jagged edge on the Boeing 787 engine.

The stretched wings of a Boeing 787. Seen here is Air France 787-9 Registration No. F-HBA (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric)

The wings of Air France Boeing 787-9, Registration No. F-HBA

787 Orders and Deliveries

Total Boeing 787 orders and deliveries are shown in the table below (through August, 2025).

Boeing 787 Model	Orders	Deliveries
787-8	431	398
787-9	1,372	676
787-10	396	124
TOTAL	2,199	1,198

Airbus A350 Spotting Guide

The A350 is the first Airbus composite aircraft with both fuselage and wing structures constructed primarily of carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer. The A350's maiden flight took place in June of 2013 from the Toulouse–Blagnac Airport.

Its variants seat from 280 to 366 passengers in typical three-class seating layouts. The A350 is positioned to succeed the Airbus A340, and compete with the Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 .

In July of 2006, during the Farnborough Airshow, the aircraft was designated the A350 XWB (Xtra-Wide-Body). The A350 is built with over 70% advanced materials, combining carbon composites (53%), titanium and modern aluminium alloys, to create a lighter and more cost-efficient aircraft while also reducing maintenance requirements. The latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines are quieter and more efficient.

The A350 design includes a wide fuselage cross-section, allowing seating arrangements ranging from an eight-abreast low-density premium economy layout to a ten-abreast high-density seating configuration. The XWB fuselage has a constant width from door 1 to door 4, unlike previous Airbus aircraft, to provide maximum usable volume. Fuselage width is 19' 7".

The XWB's nose section utilizes a configuration derived from the A380, with a forward-mounted nosegear bay and a six-panel flightdeck windscreen.

Airbus A350 Characteristics and Spotting Tips

The Airbus A350-900 design features twin-engines, a single passenger deck, a distinctive nose and winglets, and has an overall length of 219' 5". Its two 4-wheel main landing gear configurations tilt forward like the Boeing 767. The landing gear on the A350-1000 have no tilt. It features four doors on each side of the fuselage.

The A350-1000 design evolved from the A350-900, via the addition of 6 frames in front of the wing, and 5 frames behind, increasing the overall length by about 23-feet, from 219'5" to 242'7". The airliner received FAA and EASA certification on November 21, 2017. Airbus made the first A350-1000 delivery in late 2017 to launch customer Qatar Airways.

Airbus A350-1000 design highlights include a twin-engine configuration, a single passenger deck, a distinctive nose and winglets. It has two 6-wheel main landing gear bogies which have no tilt, unlike the A350-900 whose bogies tilt forwrard. It is assigned ICAO Aircraft Type Designator A35K.

Airbus A350 spotting guide with the A350-900 and the A350-1000 side by side

Airbus A350-1000 showing the design of the XWB blended winglets

Airbus A350-1000 dual 6-wheel main landing gear
Airbus A350-1000 with its dual 6-wheel main landing gear design

Six-piece "masked" windshield of the Airbus A350
The unique 6-piece "masked" windshield configuration of the Airbus A350

A350 Orders and Deliveries

Current models include the A350-900 (ICAO A359) and the A350-1000 (ICAO A35K).

The first delivery of the A350-900 to launch customer Qatar Airways occurred in December of 2014. Delta Air Lines became the first U.S. airline to receive an A350, in July of 2017. On February 12, 2020, Airbus delivered its 350th A350, to Air France. Shown below is a recap of orders and deliveries through July, 2025.

A350 Model	Number Ordered	Delivered
A350-900	1,009	571
A350-1000	354	98
A350F	65	0
TOTAL	1,428	669

Comparison of the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350

Model	Overall Length	Passengers
Boeing 787-8	186' 1"	242 - 359
Boeing 787-9	206' 1"	290 - 406
Airbus A350-900	219' 5"	300-350-440
Boeing 787-10	224' 0"	330 - 440
Airbus A350-1000	242' 7"	350-410-480

Side-by-side view of the Boeing 787-9 (top) and Airbus A350-900 (below)

Side-by-side view of an Air France Boeing 787 (top) and a British Airways Airbus A350 (below)

The Boeing 787 cockpit features a 4-piece windshield, while the Airbus A350 uses a 6-piece windshield, a seen in these photos.
Side view of the indshield arrangement of the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787