Which Airlines Have The Most Boeing 787-9s In Their Fleet?

The Boeing 787-9 is one of three variants belonging to the 787 family and was designed to replace the 767-300ER and compete with the Airbus A330-300 and A330-900. The 787-9 entered commercial service with All Nippon Airways on August 7, 2014, followed closely by Air New Zealand just two days later on August 9, 2014.

Today, one of the most high-profile routes operated by the Boeing 787-9 is Qantas’ non-stop service between Perth Airport (PER) in Australia and London Heathrow Airport (LHR) in the UK, which the carrier launched in March 2018. Qantas will soon launch additional ultra-long-haul flights connecting Australia with London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) with the Airbus A350-1000 as part of Project Sunrise.

The likes of United Airlines and American Airlines also deploy their Boeing 787-9s on a multitude of transpacific and transatlantic routes, such as San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Sydney Airport (SYD). Using the latest data from ch-aviation, we take a look at which airlines have the most Boeing 787-9s in their fleet today.

All Nippon Airways

43 Boeing 787-9s

The world’s joint-largest operator of the Boeing 787-9 is currently All Nippon Airways, with 43 of the aircraft in its fleet. The Japanese carrier was the aircraft’s launch customer back in 2014, and has since grown its 787-9 fleet to include several different configurations, depending on how the aircraft is used.

For example, some of All Nippon Airways’ 787-9s boast a capacity of between 215 and 246 passengers and are deployed on international routes, while others have a high-density domestic layout of between 375 and 395 passengers. The Star Alliance carrier also operates 34 787-8s and eight 787-10s.

Three of All Nippon Airways’ Boeing 787-9s feature special liveries:

• JA873A – Star Wars R2-D2 livery
• JA871A – ANA Future Promise livery
• JA894A – Pikachu NH livery.

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United Airlines

43 Boeing 787-9s

The world’s joint-largest operator of the Boeing 787-9 is United Airlines. Just like its fellow Star Alliance member All Nippon Airways, United Airlines also has 43 787-9s in its fleet. Each of United Airlines’ 43 787-9s is able to carry up to a total of 257 passengers in a three-class configuration – 48 in business class, 21 in premium economy, and 188 in economy class.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

United Airlines deploys its Boeing 787-9s on a wide variety of medium- and long-haul routes across the world, including:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG)
• Denver (DEN) – Tokyo Narita (NRT)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Singapore (SIN)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – London Heathrow (LHR)
• Newark (EWR) – Cape Town (CPT)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Sydney (SYD)
• Newark (EWR) – Delhi (DEL).

However, with a staggering 145 Boeing 787-9s still on order, awaiting delivery, United Airlines will at some point be, by far, the world’s largest operator of the aircraft.

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Etihad Airways

33 Boeing 787-9s

The world’s third-largest operator of the Boeing 787-9 is Etihad Airways. The carrier became the first airline in the Middle East to operate the aircraft back in 2014, and today has a total of 33 in its fleet. From its base at Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport (AUH), Etihad Airways deploys its Boeing 787-9s on flights to destinations across the world, including:

• Sydney Airport (SYD)
• New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
• Melbourne Airport (MEL)
• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
• Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN)
• Johannesburg O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB).

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Air Canada

31 Boeing 787-9s

Air Canada has a total of 31 Boeing 787-9s in its fleet, each of which is able to accommodate up to a maximum of 295 passengers in a three-class configuration – 30 in business class, 21 in economy class, and 247 in economy class. The Star Alliance carrier also has eight of the smaller 787-8 in its fleet, and from 2026, is due to start receiving the first of 18 787-10s that it has on order.

Photo: Photofex_AUT | Shutterstock

For comparison, the configuration of all three aircraft is outlined in the table below:

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Hainan Airlines

28 Boeing 787-9s

Hainan Airlines is the world’s fifth-largest operator of the Boeing 787-9, with 28 in its fleet. The Chinese carrier also operates ten of the smaller 787-8, while the rest of its widebody fleet is made up of seven Airbus A330-200s and 20 A330-300s.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Among the routes operated by Hainan Airlines’ Boeing 787-9s are:

• Beijing (PEK) – Tijuana (TIJ) – Mexico City (MEX)
• Beijing (PEK) – Seattle (SEA)
• Beijing (PEK) – Guangzhou (CAN)
• Beijing (PEK) – Sanya (SYX)
• Shenzhen (SZX) – Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
• Shenzhen (SZX) – Vienna (VIE)
• Shenzhen (SZX) – Chengdu (TFU).

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Turkish Airlines

23 Boeing 787-9s

Turkish Airlines operates a total of 23 Boeing 787-9s, each of which is able to accommodate up to 300 passengers in a two-class configuration – 30 in business class and 270 in economy class. The 787-9s complement the airline’s other widebody aircraft, which include:

• Airbus A330-200 x 12
• Airbus A330-300 x 37
• Airbus A350-900 x 26
• Boeing 777-300ER x 34.

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American Airlines

22 Boeing 787-9s

The world’s joint-seventh largest operator of the Boeing 787-9 is American Airlines. The oneworld member has 22 Boeing 787-9s in its fleet, each with a total capacity of 285 passengers in a three-class configuration – 30 in business class, 21 in premium economy, and 234 in economy class.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

American Airlines deploys its Boeing 787-9s on a variety of medium- and long-haul routes across the world, such as:

• Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) – Tokyo Haneda (HND)
• Philadelphia (PHL) – Doha (DOH)
• Chicago O’Hare (ORD) – London Heathrow (LHR)
• Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) – Seoul Incheon (ICN)
• Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) – Honolulu (HNL).

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Japan Airlines

22 Boeing 787-9s

Another oneworld carrier to also operate 22 Boeing 787-9s is Japan Airlines. Just like fellow Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines has several different cabin configurations onboard its 787-9s, with the more premium-heavy 195-seat aircraft typically deployed on long-haul routes and the high-density 239-seat aircraft used on domestic and regional routes.

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Qatar Airways

20 Boeing 787-9s

Qatar Airways has a total of 20 Boeing 787-9s in its fleet, each of which is able to carry up to 311 passengers in a two-class configuration – 30 in business class and 281 in economy class. The rest of the Doha-based carrier’s widebody fleet is made up of the following aircraft:

• Airbus A330-200 x 3
• Airbus A330-300 x 7
• Airbus A350-900 x 34
• Airbus A350-1000 x 24
• Airbus A380 x 8
• Boeing 777-200LR x 7
• Boeing 777-300ER x 57
• Boeing 787-8 x 31
• Boeing 787-9 x 20.

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China Southern Airlines

19 Boeing 787-9s

The world’s tenth-largest airline to operate the Boeing 787-9 is China Southern Airlines, with 19 in its fleet. Each of the carrier’s 787-9s can carry either 276 or 297 passengers, with the 276-seat aircraft featuring a premium economy cabin, unlike its higher-density equivalent.

Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock

Among the routes operated by China Southern Airlines’ Boeing 787-9s are:

• Guangzhou (CAN) – Sydney (SYD)
• Guangzhou (CAN) – Xi’an (XIY)
• Guangzhou (CAN) – Tokyo Haneda (HND)
• Changsha (CSX) – Nairobi (NBO)
• Beijing (PKX) – Istanbul (IST)
• Guangzhou (CAN) – London Heathrow (LHR)
• Guangzhou (CAN) – Budapest (BUD).

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The world’s ten largest operators of the Boeing 787-9 are summarized in the table below: