Key takeaways
- The 787-9 is the stretched middle version of the Dreamliner: around six meters longer than the 787-8, with ranges of up to about 15,370 km.
- Fastest way to identify it: serrated engine ends plus wings that sweep back at the tips without winglets means 787 – the length then tells you the variant.
- Two engine options: GEnx-1B or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000. Unlike on the A350, the airline decides.
- In the DACH region, the 787-9 is mainly associated with Lufthansa in Frankfurt and Austrian Airlines in Vienna.
- In tracking services, the type shows as B789 – the 787-8 runs as B788, the 787-10 as B78X.
Contents
Profile
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
|---|---|
| Family | 787 Dreamliner (787-8, 787-9, 787-10) |
| ICAO type designator | B789 |
| First flight | September 17, 2013, Everett (Paine Field) |
| First delivery | July 2014 to Air New Zealand |
| Engines | 2 × GE Aerospace GEnx-1B or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 |
| Length | 62.8 m |
| Wingspan | 60.1 m |
| Height | 17.0 m |
| Seats | typically 250 to 325 in two classes (manufacturer figure) |
| Range (manufacturer figure) | up to 15,370 km (8,300 nm) |
| Max. takeoff weight | around 259 t (manufacturer figure) |
| Wake turbulence category | Heavy (H) |
Identifying features
Is this really the aircraft type in front of you?
- Serrated trailing edges on the engine nacelles, the so-called chevrons
- Wings without winglets that end in a tip swept back at an angle (raked wingtips)
- Smooth, rounded nose with just four large cockpit windows instead of the usual six
- Wings that flex strongly upward in flight – especially clearly right after liftoff
- Main landing gear with four wheels per leg
- Fuselage of around 63 m, visibly longer and more stretched than on the 787-8 but shorter than on the 787-10
Updated: October 2026 – A slender twinjet sweeps over the fence, the wings flex upward like a bow, and serrated edges flash at the engine ends: that’s a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Whether you’re looking at a 787-9 or one of its sisters, and how to reliably tell it from the A350 and A330neo, is what this page shows you. You also get concrete tips on where to get the 787-9 in front of your lens in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Keep an eye on the B789
With Planetrack, you log every Dreamliner sighting with photo, registration, airline and spot and tick off the 787-9 in your hangar. The app is launching soon – join the waitlist and get early access.
What is the Boeing 787-9?
The 787-9 is the stretched middle version of the 787 family. Boeing lengthened the fuselage by around six meters compared with the original 787-8. The result is a twin-aisle twinjet that, according to the manufacturer, typically carries 250 to 325 passengers in two classes and flies up to around 15,370 kilometers. That puts the -9 right between the compact 787-8 and the longest variant, the 787-10, which offers more seats but flies somewhat less far.
When it was introduced, the Dreamliner was the first airliner whose fuselage and wings are made largely of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. That saves weight, allows a higher cabin pressure and larger windows. For you as a spotter, that has a visible side effect: the wings are very flexible and flex noticeably upward in flight.
The first flight of the 787-9 took place on September 17, 2013. The aircraft took off from Paine Field in Everett and landed at Boeing Field in Seattle a good five hours later. The launch customer was Air New Zealand: in July 2014, its first 787-9, registration ZK-NZE, landed in Auckland – the first 787-9 ever delivered. You’ll find more on the manufacturer itself on the page about Boeing.
The three features that are enough to identify it
You recognize the Dreamliner faster than most other widebody jets. Three observations are enough to reliably narrow it down to the 787 family.
Look at the engine ends
The trailing edges of the engine nacelles are serrated like a saw blade. These chevrons reduce noise and are easy to see from the side – on the A350 and A330neo, the nacelles end smooth.
Watch the wingtips
There is no add-on winglet. Instead, the wing ends in a tip swept back at an angle. In flight, that makes the whole wing look like one continuous, upward-curved arc.
Check the nose
The 787 has a smooth, rounded nose with just four large cockpit windows. A dark surround like on the A350 is missing, and the front looks almost seamless.
If all three features are met, you’re looking at a Dreamliner. Which variant it is gets settled in the next step via fuselage length. In the end, the registration confirms the type – how to read and look up registrations is explained in the article Understanding aircraft registrations.
Practical tip for the first glance
The wing flex is strongest at takeoff. If you see a twinjet whose wings arch upward like a bow right after liftoff, it’s worth a second look at the engines: serrated ends make it almost certainly a 787.
787-8, 787-9 or 787-10?
All three variants share cockpit, nose, engine options and the four-wheel main landing gear. The wingspan is identical on the -9 and -10. The difference lies almost entirely in the fuselage length.
| Feature | 787-8 | 787-9 | 787-10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICAO type designator | B788 | B789 | B78X |
| Length | 56.7 m | 62.8 m | 68.3 m |
| Wingspan | 60.1 m | 60.1 m | 60.1 m |
| Wheels per main landing gear leg | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Typical seat count (2 classes, Boeing) | approx. 200–275 | approx. 250–325 | approx. 300–375 |
| Range (Boeing) | up to approx. 14,820 km | up to approx. 15,370 km | up to approx. 13,890 km |
In the picture, the 787-8 looks stubby: the fuselage is actually somewhat shorter than the wingspan, and nose and tail seem to sit close to the wing. The 787-9 is visibly more stretched, with the fuselage exceeding the wingspan by just under three meters. The 787-10 stretches even further and looks almost as slim as a pencil. Once you’ve consciously seen the three side by side, you’ll later tell them apart without a database too.
For a beginner, though, the ratio of fuselage to wing is still tricky, especially on approach from the front. Then a look at the tracking service helps: the type code is right there. How to follow such flights live is explained in the guide to flight tracking with ADS-B.
Dreamliner, A350 or A330neo?
Most mix-ups happen with the other modern long-haul twins. The finder narrows it down using three observations.
Quick ID: modern long-haul twin
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Chevrons, raked wingtips and the smooth nose are the typical Dreamliner picture. Now estimate the length: stubby means more likely 787-8, stretched 787-9, very long 787-10.
Airbus A350
The black mask and the softly upward-curved wingtips point to the A350. More on the page about the A350-900.
Airbus A330 or A330neo
A clearly set-off winglet and the classic Airbus nose point to the A330 family. You recognize the neo by the large engines and curved sharklets.
You’ll find more details on the Airbus counterparts on the pages about the Airbus A350-900 and the Airbus A330-900. The article Telling Airbus and Boeing apart also provides a good basis for such comparisons.
A special case is the Boeing 777-300ER. It also has raked wingtips without winglets, but it is over eleven meters longer, has six wheels per main landing gear leg, smooth engine ends and a blade-flat tail. The older Boeing 767-300ER, which the Dreamliner replaces at many airlines, you recognize by the classic six-window cockpit glazing and the narrower silhouette.
Where to find the 787-9
The 787-9 is one of the most-built long-haul jets of the present day and is correspondingly widespread. For spotters in German-speaking countries, two home airports matter most.
Lufthansa took delivery of its first 787-9 at the end of August 2022. The aircraft, registration D-ABPA and christening name “Berlin,” had originally been built for a Chinese airline and landed in Frankfurt on August 30, 2022. The type has been based at Frankfurt Airport ever since. Since 2025, brand-new Dreamliners with the new Allegris cabin have been joining. Lufthansa is continuing to expand the fleet and is deploying the 787-9 from Frankfurt on more and more North America and Asia routes – how many aircraft are in service at any moment keeps changing.
Austrian Airlines is renewing its long-haul fleet with the 787-9, initially replacing the older 767. The first aircraft, OE-LPM, landed in Vienna at the end of March 2024 – still in the colors of its Vietnamese previous operator at the time. In spring 2026, OE-LPG became the first of several aircraft to transfer from the Lufthansa fleet to Austrian. The Austrian Dreamliners are used, among other places, to North America. For Vienna Airport, that means: the 787-9 will become a familiar sight there in the coming years.
Lufthansa and Austrian both belong to the Lufthansa Group and to Star Alliance. In addition, numerous foreign airlines fly the 787-9 into the DACH region, such as United Airlines, Air Canada, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines or LOT Polish Airlines. Whether they currently serve a particular route with the 787-9 or another type depends on the current schedule. KLM, Air France, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic also have the 787-9 in their fleets – at their hubs in Amsterdam, Paris and London, you see the type daily.
| Location | Chance of a hit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Frankfurt | high | Lufthansa base of the 787-9, plus many foreign long-haul airlines |
| Vienna | medium, rising | Austrian Airlines is phasing in the 787-9 step by step |
| Munich | medium | Foreign long-haul airlines; Lufthansa mainly uses the A350 here |
| Zurich | medium | Foreign long-haul airlines, Swiss relies on Airbus and the 777 |
| Smaller regional airports | low | At most charters, ferry flights or diversions |
Fleets and assignments change
Which routes are flown with the 787-9 shifts with every schedule change. Don’t rely on older lists; before your trip, check arrivals and departures for the type code B789.
Never miss a Dreamliner again
With Planetrack, you put registrations, types or airlines on your wish list and get notified by sighting alert when a 787-9 arrives. Planetrack is launching soon – join the waitlist here.
Spotting in Frankfurt and Vienna
In Frankfurt, the Zeppelinheim viewing platform is a popular starting point for watching long-haul traffic. At hubs like Frankfurt, long-haul flights usually arrive in fixed arrival waves in the morning and depart in bunches in the afternoon and evening so that connecting passengers can make their connections. The current schedule tells you the exact times.
In Vienna, the spotters’ hill and the observation deck are good choices. The Austrian Dreamliners in particular are easy to plan for there, because they mostly depart to North America and return at fixed times of day.
Decisive for your vantage point at both airports is the runway direction in use: it determines from which direction the aircraft land and where they take off to. How to estimate it in advance is covered in the article Understanding runway direction at airports. Whether your vantage point is legally unproblematic is covered in the article Is plane spotting allowed?.
Ready for your Dreamliner session?
- I found the arrival or departure time of a B789 in the schedule.
- I know the expected runway direction.
- I know where the sun is at the planned time.
- My vantage point is publicly accessible and allowed.
- Battery full, memory card free, focal length fits the distance.
Photo tips specifically for the 787-9
The Dreamliner is one of the most photogenic long-haul aircraft: slim fuselage, elegant wings and details that work just right at the right moment.
Wing flex at takeoff
Just after liftoff, the carbon-fiber wings flex the most. A side view at that moment shows the Dreamliner’s trademark better than any landing.
Put the chevrons in the light
The serrated engine ends come out best in side light. A slight three-quarter view from behind shows them clearly.
Capture the proportions
If you want to identify the variant from the picture later, shoot the aircraft once in full profile. That way you can still see the ratio of fuselage to wingspan weeks later.
Light at your back
Many airlines paint the Dreamliner mostly white. With the sun behind you and flat light, the fuselage keeps its detail without blowing out.
When the light suits your spot, you can calculate in advance; how that works is explained in the guide Planning sun position for your photo spot. What gear you really need is covered in the plane spotting gear checklist. And if you’re just starting out: Identifying aircraft types for beginners and Plane spotting for beginners quickly get you on course.
Common mix-ups and how to rule them out
It points to the 787-9 if …
- the engines have serrated trailing edges
- the wings sweep back at an angle without a winglet
- the nose is smooth and shows just four cockpit windows
- the fuselage looks clearly longer than the wingspan, but not extremely long
- the tracking service shows B789 as the type
Take a closer look if …
It’s not a 787-9 if …
- the cockpit windows are framed in dark – that’s the A350
- a clearly set-off winglet sits at the wingtip
- you count six wheels per main landing gear leg
- you see four engines – then you’re looking at the A380 or the Boeing 747-8
Conclusion
For many spotters, the 787-9 is the entry into modern long-haul. Chevrons, raked wingtips and the smooth four-window nose give you the family, the fuselage length the variant, the registration the confirmation. It stays exciting because a lot is happening in the DACH region right now: Lufthansa is expanding its Dreamliner fleet in Frankfurt, and Austrian Airlines is switching its long-haul operation in Vienna.
Bottom line
Serrated engine ends, wings without winglets, smooth nose and a stretched but not extremely long fuselage: that’s the 787-9. If you’re hunting for it, filter for B789 and plan around the long-haul waves in Frankfurt and Vienna.
Summary
- The 787-9 first flew in September 2013, and the first aircraft went to Air New Zealand in July 2014.
- Chevrons, raked wingtips and the four-window nose reliably separate the Dreamliner from the A350, A330 and 777.
- Between the 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10, the fuselage proportions decide; if in doubt, the registration confirms.
- Lufthansa is expanding its 787-9 fleet out of Frankfurt, while Austrian Airlines uses the type in Vienna to replace the 767 at first.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ICAO type designator of the Boeing 787-9?
The 787-9 operates under B789. The shorter 787-8 has the code B788, the longest version 787-10 the code B78X. In flight plans and tracking services, you can use them to filter for a specific variant.
How do I tell the 787-8 and 787-9 apart?
Both have the same nose, the same engine options and a four-wheel main landing gear. The difference is length: at 62.8 m, the 787-9 is around six meters longer than the 787-8 (56.7 m). The -8 looks stubby and almost chubby, the -9 much more stretched. You get certainty from the registration or the type code in the tracking service.
And how do I tell the 787-9 and 787-10 apart?
At 68.3 m, the 787-10 is a good five meters longer still and has a visibly longer row of windows ahead of and behind the wing. Wingspan and basic shape are the same. In German-speaking countries, you’ll meet the 787-10 much less often than the -9.
How do I tell the 787 from the Airbus A350?
The 787 has serrated engine trailing edges and a smooth nose without a dark surround on the cockpit windows. The A350 carries the typical black “mask” and wingtips that curve softly upward; its engines end smooth.
Which engines does the 787-9 have?
Either the GEnx-1B from GE Aerospace or the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000. The airline chooses at purchase. From the outside, the nacelles differ mainly in lettering and details; for beginners, identifying the type matters more than the engine question.
Where can I see a 787-9 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland?
Most reliably in Frankfurt, where Lufthansa operates its 787-9s, and in Vienna with Austrian Airlines. In addition, many foreign airlines fly long-haul routes to Germany, Austria and Switzerland with the 787-9. Which ones those are at the moment is best checked up to date in the schedule.
Why is the 787 called the “Dreamliner”?
The name came out of a public online vote by Boeing in 2003, back when it was still the 7E7 project. Since then, it has been the fixed nickname of the entire 787 family, not just the -9.
Collect the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, don’t just see it
Post a photo with registration, type, airport and spot, check off the type in your hangar and get an alert when a registration you are looking for lands. Planetrack is launching soon – join the waitlist and get early access.
Related aircraft types
Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
A smooth nose with just four cockpit windows, serrated engine trailing edges and wings that flex far upward in flight: the 787-8 is the shortest Dreamliner. Here’s how to identify it with confidence.
WidebodyBoeing 787-10 Dreamliner
The longest Dreamliner version: the 787-10 stretches the 787-9 by a good five meters, is built only in South Carolina and flies mainly on medium long-haul routes. Here’s how to identify the B78X with confidence.
WidebodyAirbus A350-900
Black cockpit mask, elegantly upswept wingtips, two massive Trent XWB engines: the A350-900 is Airbus’ modern long-haul twin. Here is how to recognize it with confidence.
WidebodyAirbus A330-900neo
Classic A330 fuselage, but with sharklets, a black cockpit mask and much larger engines: the A330-900neo is the relaunch of a long-haul classic. Here is how to recognize it reliably.
WidebodyBoeing 777-300ER
The best-selling 777 variant: the 777-300ER is longer than an A380, flies only with GE90 engines and has defined long-haul since 2004. Here’s how to identify the 77W with confidence.
WidebodyBoeing 767-300ER
Slender fuselage, two big engines, often upswept winglets: the 767-300ER was the workhorse across the Atlantic for decades. Today it is getting rare – here is how to recognize and find it.
Related airports & manufacturers
Airports, manufacturers, airline groups and alliances – who is behind them and what you should know as a spotter.
Boeing
Boeing is the American counterpart to Airbus and has built airliners in series since the 707. If you can tell the 737, 777 and 787 apart by landing gear, wingtips and tail, you can identify a large share of the traffic at any European airport – even without a livery clue.
AirportFrankfurt Airport
Germany’s largest airport and Lufthansa’s home hub: four runways, two passenger terminals and a traffic mix from regional jets to widebody freighters.
AirportVienna Airport (Wien-Schwechat)
Austria’s largest airport and hub of Austrian Airlines: two crossing runways, a Terminal 3 under expansion, strong low-cost traffic – and, since the observation deck closed, a spotter hill as the main legal vantage point.
Airline groupLufthansa Group
Lufthansa Group is not an airline but a group with a dozen operating carriers – from Lufthansa to SWISS and Austrian to Eurowings and ITA Airways. If you only look for the crane at the fence, you miss half the group.
Where to see the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Specific vantage points with the runway configuration, light times, coordinates and an honest take on whether the trip is worth it.
Zeppelinheim viewing platform at Frankfurt Airport
The classic among Frankfurt’s spotting spots: from the platform at the motorway bridge near Zeppelinheim, most landings in a west wind glide in onto the south runway – free, public and a quick S-Bahn ride from Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof.
Spotting hillVienna Airport spotting hill
Since the observation deck on Terminal 3 closed, there is hardly a way around the spotting hill in Vienna: an earth mound built by the airport east of runway 16/34, free, accessible around the clock and with the sun behind you in the morning.
Observation deckObservation deck at Vienna Airport
The long rooftop deck on Terminal 3 was the most convenient spot in Vienna for years – at the moment it is closed because of construction work on the South Expansion. Here you can read what is officially known and which legal alternatives remain at Vienna Airport.
Related guides from the blog
- Airbus or Boeing? How to tell them apart
- How to identify aircraft types: a beginner’s guide
- Flight tracking for spotters: using ADS-B, Flightradar and more
- Understanding runway direction in use at airports: wind, runways and what it means for your spot
- Planning sun position: how to never shoot into the sun at the airport
- Aircraft registrations explained: how to read any tail number