The Federal Aviation Administration has certificated increased maximum take-off weights for Boeing’s 787-9 and -10 variants, enabling operators to extend range by up to 400nm (740km) or carry significantly greater payloads on existing routes.
The US airframer is close to delivering the first Dreamliners with increased MTOW to customers. It says that all 787-9s and -10s assembled past December are “structurally capable of the higher weight”.
The 787-9’s optional MTOW will be boosted by 4,540kg (10,000lb), increasing range by 300nm or payload by 3t.
For the larger 787-10 variant, MTOW will increase by 6,350kg, providing 400nm of extra range or 5t of greater payload.
Boeing says that achieving FAA certification of the increased MTOW on the 787 has been a years-long engineering and testing effort.
“We started this effort after airlines sent Boeing a clear message: they wanted greater flexibility,” says John Murphy, 787 chief project engineer. “Some wanted the 787-10 to fly longer missions; others wanted the 787-9 to carry additional payload with range trade-offs. Boeing designed a solution that delivers both.”
Air New Zealand, which was the 787-9’s launch customer back in 2014, will be among the first carriers to take delivery of an MTOW-boosted 787. The carrier’s first 787-9 with increased MTOW recently rolled off Boeing’s final assembly line in Charleston, South Carolina, and awaits final inspections and flight tests.
”This upgrade gives us greater ability to carry additional payload on our ultra long-haul routes – an important enabler for our network ambitions, supporting trade, tourism and better connectivity for New Zealand,” says Baden Smith, Air New Zealand’s general manager of strategy, networks and fleets. ”We’re looking forward to bringing this new airplane into our fleet.”
The improved MTOW configuration will be optional for Dreamliner operators rather than a built-in feature of all new 787-9s and -10s.
”Certified operating weight is designated per airplane and can affect airport fees and route planning,” Boeing says. ”For those reasons, airlines can choose to activate the capability at delivery or later. Offering iMTOW as an option lets carriers match certified capability to their network economics.”
The first 787s were delivered to airlines more than 15 years ago. More than 1,200 examples of Boeing’s flagship widebody aircraft are currently in passenger-carrying service globally.
