The Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner are each other’s contemporaries, but they’re not direct competitors. The 787-8 and 787-9 are smaller than the A350-900, which is smaller than the 787-10, while the A350-1000 is the largest of them all. The A350 burns more fuel than the 787, has more range, and has a higher payload capacity. They’re very different aircraft: the 787 is an extremely well-rounded, cost-effective machine on most routes, while the A350 brings unrivaled capability to long-haul routes while still being incredibly fuel-efficient.

But while the aircraft are quite different, airlines do cross-shop them because their sizes and capabilities overlap when you look at them as families rather than variants. Notably, Boeing has recently increased the gross weights of the 787-9 and 787-10 variants to add range, which is particularly impactful for the 787-10, as it sits between the A350-900 and A350-1000 while traditionally offering much less range. Airbus, for its part, also continues to improve the A350.

The Improvements To The 787

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In March 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified new maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) for the 787-9 and 787-10, bumping their gross weights to 259.2 tons and 260.4 tons, respectively (up from 254.7 tons and 254 tons). This gave the 787-9 about 310 nautical miles (575 km) in range, while the 787-10 gained about 430 nautical miles (796 km) in range. This brings the 787 family closer to the A350 in capability, which matters because this is the A350’s key advantage over the 787.

The 787-9 is already used on many of the world’s longest routes, but it faces payload limitations at the extremes of what some airlines operate. Air Canada and Qantas have already ordered A350-1000s to displace 787-9s on existing routes, and while it’s clear this isn’t a flaw of the 787-9 (given just how much larger the A350-1000 is), this will improve ULH route economics with the aircraft. This will also make the aircraft more competitive with the A350-900, which is slightly larger and has always had a much higher payload capacity, but less so now.

However, the 787-10 is the real story here. It seats more passengers than the A350-900, yet it burns about the same amount of fuel, or less, than the A350 because it’s lighter. The disadvantage is that the 787-10 can’t carry as much payload and has significantly less range; its longest regularly scheduled route today is from Chicago to Tokyo. But now, the 787-10 is more competitive with the A350-900 on long-haul routes with its payload-range capabilities, while still retaining its slight efficiency advantage.

What The 787-10 Gross Weight Increase Means

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The 787-10 was already more capable than some may have realized, but it now has a range of roughly 6,760 nautical miles (12,519 km) with a typical payload. It’s a more than capable long-haul machine, which makes it quite appealing for airlines like EVA Air that operate the 787-10 across the Pacific, or for Air New Zealand, a future 787-10 operator that could now use the type for shorter US routes, such as to the West Coast. The increased gross weight makes the 787-10 more viable for these types of services.

American Airlines is currently shopping for new widebodies to replace its 777-200ER fleet, which primarily operates transatlantic routes along with some transpacific services. Previously, the 787-10 was already an excellent pick for this role, but would have faced some difficulties on hypothetical routes like Dallas/Fort Worth to Athens (which is currently flown by the 777-300ER). The new MTOW means that the 787-10 can now fly essentially any route from the US to Europe, while the 787-9 can also carry more payload on American’s Asia services.

Of course, the A350-900 still lifts more payload and flies farther, but the gap between the two has now been narrowed. As such, it’s an increasingly compelling aircraft that’s less limited than it once was. This seems similar to the dynamic between the 777-200ER and the A330-300, where the latter was more efficient and similarly sized but had less range. As the A330 grew more capable, it ate away at the 777-200ER’s market share.

What The 787-10 Still Won’t Do

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While the 787’s MTOW increases make the aircraft more capable, they’re not revolutionary. It can operate routes previously only possible with the A350, but the 787-9 gained only 310 nautical miles (575 km) of range, while the 787-10 gained 430 nautical miles (796 km). United Airlines operates the world’s longest regularly scheduled 787-10 route, from Chicago to Tokyo, and the new MTOW will allow the carrier to load more cargo or, hypothetically, fly the 787-10 to Seoul. However, the 787-10 still won’t be able to fly from Chicago to China, for example.

We previously discussed the dynamic between the 787-10 and A350 as being similar to the A330-300 and 777-200ER. Crucially, however, the fuel burn difference between the 777 and A330 was much greater than between the A350 and 787. With the latter two, the fuel-burn delta is easily offset by the A350’s higher payload capacity (despite the 787-10 having more physical floor and cargo space) as well as pricing. In addition, the A350 burns less fuel on ultra-long-haul flights, so the two remain highly competitive.

The 787-10 has become increasingly popular as the increased MTOW project has progressed and then concluded, with the variant now having a backlog of over 400 aircraft. The A350-900 is also tremendously successful, with a backlog of over 500 aircraft. Meanwhile, the A350-1000 (which competes more closely with the 777X than the 787) has traditionally been a slow seller, but has also been receiving more orders in recent years. Today, its backlog stands at over 250 orders.

Why Airlines Fly Both The 787 And A350

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Over 30 airlines and aircraft leasing companies worldwide have ordered both the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787. In some contests, the two are pitted against one another because airlines are usually looking for an overall fleet plan that best suits their needs, made up of a combination of different variants. However, it’s becoming increasingly common for airlines to order both, with the 787 now cementing its place as an A330 replacement while the A350 replaces the 777.

Because the A350 and 787 are both so fuel-efficient, there’s little disadvantage to operating either type. Larger airlines can economically support fleets of both types and can therefore deploy them on routes where each shines. Philippine Airlines has ordered the 787-10 for intra-Asia and Australia routes, while its A350-1000s fly to North America. Delta Air Lines operates a large A350 fleet for transpacific routes, while it’s ordered the 787-10 for transatlantic routes.

More recently, airlines are ordering the A350 alongside the 787-10, keeping the latter on shorter flights despite its range increase, while using the A350 for flagship routes. The 787-9, meanwhile, remains the most popular variant in the lineup, but its capabilities overlap more closely with the A350, even if it’s slightly smaller than the A350-900. Overall, however, the two types work well together in an airline’s fleet, and the 787’s range improvements increase its versatility for existing customers rather than stealing customers from Airbus.

Improvements To The Airbus A350

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The A350 essentially started as a larger 787. The A350-900 entered service with an MTOW of 268 tons, while the A350-1000 debuted with an MTOW of 308 tons. The A350 was already a capable airliner, but Airbus has continued to increase the aircraft’s gross weight and improve fuel efficiency to add range. Today, the A350-900 has an MTOW of 283 tons and a range of 8,500 nautical miles (15,750 km), while the A350-1000 has an MTOW of 322 tons and a range of 9,000 nautical miles (16,700 km). This isn’t even counting the ULR subvariants for each.

The A350 family now has a greater range advantage over the 787 than it did when first entering service, but Airbus has also been focusing on cutting the A350’s fuel burn. The A350-900ULR included a new wing twist and sharklet design ported over to the standard A350-900, while both variants received a new production standard (NPS) upgrade in late 2022 that increased cabin size and cut weight. Rolls-Royce has also been improving the A350’s Trent XWB engines.

The XWB-97 on the A350-1000 is receiving substantial durability upgrades for hot, dusty climates. Meanwhile, the latest upgrade to the XWB-84, dubbed the EP (enhanced performance), was promised to deliver a 1% reduction in fuel burn, but has actually delivered a 1.8% reduction. These gains and more have made the A350 extremely competitive with the 787, and given the 787’s range improvements, it’s no surprise the two are as popular as ever.