Boeing 767-200/-200ER

Updated: October 2026 – A widebody jet that somehow looks too short: two big engines, a slender fuselage, huge wings and a pointed tail. If you see something like that, you have a good chance of looking at a Boeing 767-200 – the very first version of the 767. With it Boeing introduced the twin-engine widebody jet, its long-range version, the -200ER, began the age of ETOPS flights across the ocean, and an Air Canada aircraft of this type went down in history as the Gimli Glider. Today the -200 is mainly out and about as a freighter and in military uniform. Here you will learn how to recognize it, what makes it special and where you can still run into it.

What is the Boeing 767-200?

In the late 1970s airlines were looking for an aircraft between narrowbody jets like the 727-200 and three-engine jets like the DC-10. Boeing answered with the 767: two engines, two aisles, but a clearly slimmer fuselage than the big widebodies. United Airlines placed the launch order in July 1978. On September 26, 1981 the first prototype took off, and certification by the US aviation authority FAA followed in July 1982.

United took the first aircraft in August 1982 and deployed it from September 8, 1982 between Chicago and Denver. A few months later the CF6-powered version entered service with Delta Air Lines. Early customers also included American Airlines, TWA and Air Canada. The 767-200 was built in parallel with its narrowbody sister, the Boeing 757-200 – the two share a very similar cockpit, which makes it easier for pilots to switch between the types.

In total Boeing delivered 128 767-200s, the last in 1994. Within a few years the long-range version became more important: the 767-200ER. You will find more about the manufacturer and its programs on the page about Boeing.

The 767-200ER: more fuel, more range

The Ethiopian national airline Ethiopian Airlines was the first to order the 767-200ER in December 1982 – “ER” stands for Extended Range. Boeing installed an additional tank in the center fuselage and raised the maximum takeoff weight from about 143 to about 179 tonnes. According to the manufacturer, this increased the range from about 7,200 to over 12,000 kilometers.

The first flight of the -200ER took place on March 6, 1984. The launch operator a few weeks later was El Al. Already in its first year of service the version showed what it was capable of: In May 1984 Ethiopian flew nonstop from Washington to Addis Ababa – a distance record for a twin-engine airliner. In 1988 Air Mauritius set another distance record on the way from Halifax to Mauritius. By 2008 Boeing delivered 121 -200ERs.

Besides the original engines from Pratt & Whitney (JT9D) and General Electric (CF6), more powerful variants such as the PW4000 and newer CF6 versions were offered later.

The ETOPS pioneer

Until the mid-1980s, twinjets on long routes over water were only allowed to fly routes that kept an alternate airport within short flying time. Over the North Atlantic that meant: Long-haul was a matter for three- and four-engine jets like the 747, the DC-10 or the L-1011 TriStar.

The 767-200ER changed that. In 1985 TWA began flights across the Atlantic with the 767, and in May 1985 the FAA granted the 767 the first 120-minute ETOPS approval – the aircraft was thus allowed to be up to two flying hours away from a suitable alternate airport on one engine. In 1989 180 minutes followed for the CF6-powered 767s. What is taken for granted today on the A350 and 787 was proven with this aircraft. How the rules work is explained in the article ETOPS explained.

The Gimli Glider: a 767-200 in a glide

No chapter of the 767-200 is as well known as Air Canada Flight 143 of July 23, 1983. The aircraft, a 767-233 only a few months old with the registration C-GAUN, was en route from Montreal via Ottawa to Edmonton. Because the fuel gauge had failed, the amount of fuel was determined with a dipstick and converted – and pounds were mixed up with kilograms. The 767 was one of the first aircraft at Air Canada to be fueled in metric units. In the end only about half the required fuel was on board.

Over Red Lake in Ontario the cockpit reported the first fuel warnings at about 41,000 feet, shortly afterward one engine failed and, in the descent, the second one too. Without engines the electronic instruments failed as well, leaving only the emergency instruments and the deployed ram air turbine for the hydraulics. Captain Bob Pearson, an experienced glider pilot, and First Officer Maurice Quintal headed for the former military airfield at Gimli in Manitoba, which had meanwhile been used as a motor racing venue. To lose altitude, Pearson used a slip – a glider maneuver that is highly unusual for an airliner. The nose gear did not lock into place and collapsed on landing, which slowed the aircraft further.

All 69 people on board survived, and only a few were injured, mostly lightly while leaving via the escape slides. C-GAUN was repaired and flew for Air Canada until January 2008. After that the aircraft was parked in Mojave, California, and later scrapped – Mojave is one of the best-known aircraft boneyards. Since 2017 an exhibition in Gimli commemorates the event, and since 2025 the salvaged cockpit of C-GAUN has also been on display there.

The history of the -200 also includes tragic chapters: In the attacks of September 11, 2001, two aircraft of this family were hijacked, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175. What consequences that had for aviation is described in the article How September 11 changed aviation security and aviation.

The features that are enough to identify it

For the 767-200 you mainly need a feel for proportions. Four observations get you there.

Important: The 767-200 and 767-200ER are practically indistinguishable from the outside. Both carry the code B762. You settle the version via the registration in a fleet database – how registrations are structured is explained in Understanding aircraft registrations.

767-200, -300ER or -400ER?

All 767s share the fuselage cross-section, cockpit design and the four-wheel main gear. The differences lie in length and wingtips.

Feature	767-200/-200ER	767-300ER	767-400ER
ICAO type designator	B762	B763	B764
Length	48.51 m	54.94 m	approx. 61.4 m
Wingtips	mostly without winglets	without or with blended winglets	raked wingtips swept back
Look in photos	short, stubby	balanced	very long and stretched
Today	almost only freighters and military	rare as a passenger jet, common as a freighter	rare, mainly US airlines

The 767-300ER is about six and a half meters longer and carries tall blended winglets with many airlines. You recognize the 767-400ER by its raked wingtips and the very long fuselage. The freighter version 767-300F is likewise longer than any -200 freighter.

767-200, A310 or A300?

The real competitors of the 767-200 came from Airbus: the A310 and the A300-600. The A310 in particular has similar dimensions – mix-ups are therefore not uncommon.

Rule of thumb: The Airbus fuselage is noticeably wider, with usually eight passengers abreast in economy (2-4-2), versus typically seven (2-3-2) on the 767. To tell it apart from its narrowbody sister, the guide Telling the Boeing 757 and 767 apart helps, and for the basics Telling Airbus and Boeing apart.

Second life as a freighter

Since 1998 Boeing has offered the conversion of 767-200s to freighters. The aircraft gets a large cargo door on the left side of the fuselage ahead of the wing, a reinforced main deck floor and safety equipment for carrying cargo. The windows are plated over, though their outline often remains visible. The conversions were intended mainly as replacements for older cargo aircraft. Since 2005 Israel Aerospace Industries has also been converting 767s to freighters.

A well-known operator of converted 767-200s is ABX Air from Wilmington (Ohio), which flies mainly for DHL. According to its fleet overview, in fall 2026 it still had a few 767-200BDSFs in service alongside clearly more 767-300 freighters. The -200 freighters operate mostly in North America; in Europe the type is a rarity. At the cargo hubs Leipzig/Halle and Cologne/Bonn you see 767 freighters regularly – mostly the longer -300 versions, though. How express cargo works is explained in Express integrators DHL, FedEx and UPS, and how to recognize freighters in general is covered in Recognizing cargo aircraft.

In uniform: E-767, KC-767 and KC-46

The -200ER is also in demand with the military – as a platform for reconnaissance and aerial refueling.

• E-767: Japan has four airborne early warning aircraft based on the 767-200ER with the AN/APY-2 surveillance radar in a rotodome. The first aircraft were handed over in 1998, and they are based at Hamamatsu. More on the page about the Boeing E-767.
• KC-767: The tanker is also based on the -200ER. Japan operates four KC-767Js, Italy four KC-767As, which entered service with the Aeronautica Militare from 2011. Colombia flies a tanker converted by IAI. Details on the page about the Boeing KC-767.
• KC-46 Pegasus: The US Air Force tanker is based on the 767-2C, a -200 fuselage with wings from the -300 series and a modernized cockpit. The 767-2C first flew in December 2014. More on the page about the KC-46 Pegasus.

The Italian tankers in particular also show up north of the Alps during NATO exercises and ferry flights. How to recognize tankers is shown in the guide Recognizing tanker aircraft. Before you pull out the camera at a military airfield, read the rules for photographing at military airfields.

Spotting planning: how to catch a 767-200

Because the -200 has become so rare, preparation decides. Filter in tracking for B762 and check whether it is a freighter, a tanker or a rare passenger charter. How to follow individual aircraft live is explained in Flight tracking with ADS-B. How special your sighting ultimately is, you can gauge with the article How rare is my sighting?.

Place	Chance of a hit	Why
Leipzig/Halle, Cologne/Bonn	low	Many 767 freighters, but mostly -300s; a -200 only occasionally
Frankfurt	low	At most cargo charters or ferry flights
Military airfields and exercise areas	low to medium	Italian KC-767As on exercises and deployments
North America (cargo hubs)	medium to high	Home of the remaining -200 freighters

In Frankfurt the Zeppelinheim viewing platform is a good choice. Whether your vantage point is permitted is clarified in the article Is plane spotting allowed?.

Photo tips specifically for the 767-200

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

Conclusion

The 767-200 is the origin of a family that was built for more than four decades. It brought Boeing into the widebody twin market, made ETOPS long-haul possible as the -200ER and wrote one of aviation’s best-known stories with the Gimli Glider. It has disappeared as a passenger jet, but it keeps flying as a freighter and in military versions. For spotters in Europe, every B762 is a real trophy.