Is the Boeing 787 safe?

The 787 has an excellent safety record with zero fatal passenger accidents through 2025 across more than 1,100 aircraft in service. A worldwide grounding in 2013 addressed battery fire risks; the redesigned containment system resolved the issue. The LATAM 800 upset in 2024 injured passengers but caused no fatalities.

How many fatal Boeing 787 accidents have there been?

As of 2025, the 787 has not been involved in any fatal passenger accidents since entering service in 2011, making it one of the safest wide-body aircraft by fatality record. The most serious incident was the 2013 battery grounding, which involved no passenger injuries.

Which airline has the largest 787 fleet?

United Airlines operates the world's largest 787 fleet with over 90 aircraft. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines together operate more than 100 787s, and Ethiopian Airlines is one of the largest African operators of the type.

What's the difference between the 787-8 and 787-9?

The 787-9 is stretched by about 6 metres compared to the 787-8, seating roughly 40-60 more passengers and offering a greater range (7,635 nm vs. 7,305 nm). The 787-10 is a further stretch optimised for medium-to-long-haul high-density routes with reduced range.

How many seats does a Boeing 787 have?

Seat counts vary widely by configuration: the 787-8 typically seats 242-359, the 787-9 seats 296-420, and the 787-10 seats 330-440 in high-density layouts. Most two-class configurations seat around 280-330 passengers.

When was the Boeing 787 introduced?

The 787-8 entered commercial service with All Nippon Airways on 26 October 2011, making the first revenue flight on the Tokyo–Hong Kong route. The 787-9 entered service with Air New Zealand in July 2014, and the 787-10 with Singapore Airlines in April 2018.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner — flights, routes and airlines

Every city pair operated by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner worldwide. Live schedule data, recent safety events, and operator details.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is operated by 78 airlines across 2481 city pairs in our observed-flights dataset (last 14 days).

Top routes: AMS-NBO, BKK-HND, BKK-NRT, BKK-SIN, BKK-TPE.

Variants and specifications

Variant	First flight	Typical seats	Range (nm)	Status
787-8	2009	242-359	7305	in service
787-9	2013	296-420	7635	in service
787-10	2017	330-440	6430	in service

Notable accidents and incidents

2024-03-11 LATAM Airlines 800 LATAM Airlines 787-9 no fatalities

Sudden pitch-down upset injured 50 passengers (12 seriously) en route Sydney to Auckland; NTSB attributed the event to an inadvertent flight-control input from a flight attendant's meal tray.
2013-01-07 Japan Airlines 008 (battery fire) Japan Airlines 787-8 no fatalities

A lithium-ion auxiliary power unit battery caught fire on the ground at Boston Logan, triggering a worldwide grounding of all 787s for approximately four months while Boeing redesigned the battery containment system.
2013-01-16 All Nippon Airways 692 All Nippon Airways 787-8 no fatalities

Main battery failure forced an emergency landing at Takamatsu Airport, Japan; all 137 occupants evacuated safely, confirming systemic battery issues that reinforced the worldwide grounding.

About the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which entered service with All Nippon Airways in October 2011, was the first commercial aircraft to use a composite fuselage (approximately 50% composite by weight). The composite structure allows higher cabin pressure (6,000 ft equivalent vs. 8,000 ft on aluminium jets) and higher humidity, reducing passenger fatigue on long-haul flights.

A systemic lithium-ion battery problem grounded all 787s for four months in 2013 until Boeing introduced a redesigned containment system. As of 2025 the 787 has accumulated no fatal passenger accidents — a notable record for a wide-body with over 1,100 aircraft delivered. The 787-9 is the dominant variant, and carriers including United, Air New Zealand, and Singapore Airlines use the type on ultra-long routes beyond 7,000 nm. Boeing's current 787 order backlog stands at over 600 aircraft.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner — safety & facts

Safety record

Recorded occurrences: 175
Hull losses: 0
Fatal accidents: 2
Total fatalities: 261
Records span: 2012–2026

Based on 175 occurrences across NTSB, ASN, MAK, ATSB & Wikidata records. See full safety record →

Key facts

Manufacturer: Boeing
Typical seats: 248-336 pax
Range: 14,140 km
First flight: 2009-12

Recent fatal hull loss: 2025-06-12 View full safety record →

Color reflects time since the last recorded fatal hull-loss involving this type, drawn from public datasets (NTSB, Aviation Safety Network, Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives, Wikidata). It is not a commercial safety rating and does not normalise for flights flown, hours, or fleet size — for those, see the manufacturer or IATA Safety Report.

Notable events

2025-06-12 — Air India — 260 fatalities. Source.
2023-08-14 — LATAM Airlines Chile — 1 fatalities. Source.

Variants

787-8 — Original variant of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family.
787-9 — Stretched variant of the 787 family, 6m longer than the 787-8 with higher MTOW and longer range.
787-10 — Further-stretched variant, 5.5m longer than the 787-9.

Recent airline activity

Observed 2977 active routes flown by 75 airlines in the last 30 days.

Operators: Thomsonfly (166), United Airlines (135), American Airlines (119), ANA (119), Air Canada (115)

Top routes: EWR–LHR, JFK–LHR, HND–BKK, JED–CMN, SIN–ICN

Based on live ADS-B observations collected by FlightFinder, as of 2026-06-04.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Boeing 787 safe?: The 787 has an excellent safety record with zero fatal passenger accidents through 2025 across more than 1,100 aircraft in service. A worldwide grounding in 2013 addressed battery fire risks; the redesigned containment system resolved the issue. The LATAM 800 upset in 2024 injured passengers but caused no fatalities.
How many fatal Boeing 787 accidents have there been?: As of 2025, the 787 has not been involved in any fatal passenger accidents since entering service in 2011, making it one of the safest wide-body aircraft by fatality record. The most serious incident was the 2013 battery grounding, which involved no passenger injuries.
Which airline has the largest 787 fleet?: United Airlines operates the world's largest 787 fleet with over 90 aircraft. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines together operate more than 100 787s, and Ethiopian Airlines is one of the largest African operators of the type.
What's the difference between the 787-8 and 787-9?: The 787-9 is stretched by about 6 metres compared to the 787-8, seating roughly 40-60 more passengers and offering a greater range (7,635 nm vs. 7,305 nm). The 787-10 is a further stretch optimised for medium-to-long-haul high-density routes with reduced range.
How many seats does a Boeing 787 have?: Seat counts vary widely by configuration: the 787-8 typically seats 242-359, the 787-9 seats 296-420, and the 787-10 seats 330-440 in high-density layouts. Most two-class configurations seat around 280-330 passengers.
When was the Boeing 787 introduced?: The 787-8 entered commercial service with All Nippon Airways on 26 October 2011, making the first revenue flight on the Tokyo–Hong Kong route. The 787-9 entered service with Air New Zealand in July 2014, and the 787-10 with Singapore Airlines in April 2018.

Where the Boeing 787 Dreamliner flies — and what it costs

Route	Median fare	Sample size
Toronto → London	€419	941 quotes
Amsterdam → Istanbul	€200	629 quotes
Sydney → Auckland	€225	522 quotes
Istanbul → London	€153	489 quotes
Frankfurt → Istanbul	€153	479 quotes
Frankfurt → Munich	€136	403 quotes
London → Istanbul	€220	344 quotes
Atlanta → Paris	€585	263 quotes
Amsterdam → Madrid	€144	251 quotes
Newark → London	€245	242 quotes

Top routes by sample size from the last ~30 days.

Fly on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

It's currently flying from London (LHR), Tokyo (HND), Seoul (ICN). See where to catch one and how to book →

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