A350 vs 787: Boeing 787-9 vs Airbus A350-900 Size, Range, Seats and Comfort

The Boeing 787-9 and the Airbus A350-900 are the two most popular modern long-haul jets of their size. Both are built mostly from carbon-fibre composites, both have two engines, and both are designed for routes of up to about 16 hours.

In short: the A350-900 is bigger, with more seats and a slightly wider cabin. The 787-9 is lighter and burns less fuel per flight. Their range is now very close. This comparison covers size, seats, range, fuel efficiency, comfort and which airlines fly them, using figures published by Airbus and Boeing.

Quick answer: the A350-900 is the bigger aircraft (66.8 m long against 62.8 m), usually has 20 to 40 more seats with the same airline and has a 25 cm wider cabin. The 787-9 is lighter, burns less fuel per flight and has larger windows. Range is now almost equal: up to 8,500 nm for the A350-900 and 8,300 nm for the 787-9.

787-9 vs A350-900 at a Glance

Sources: Boeing 787 product page and 787 airport planning document; Airbus A350 facts and figures (June 2026). Checked October 2026.

A350 vs 787: The Whole Families

If you searched for “A350 vs 787”, you may be comparing the whole families rather than one model each. Boeing builds three 787 sizes and Airbus two A350 sizes. The 787-9 and A350-900 compared in this article are the closest match, but the full line-up looks like this:

Sources: Boeing 787 family; Airbus figures for the A350-900 as in the table above and for the A350-1000. Boeing quotes two-class seating and Airbus three-class seating, so seat numbers are not directly comparable.

In short, every A350 is longer than the 787-8 and 787-9, and the A350-1000 is the largest of all five. The 787-10 is the longest Dreamliner but has the shortest range. For more detail, see our 787-9 vs 787-10 and A350-1000 vs 777-9 comparisons.

Size: The A350-900 Is the Bigger Aircraft

The A350-900 is 4 m longer than the 787-9, and its wing is about 4.6 m wider. It is also heavier: its maximum take-off weight is up to 283 tonnes, against about 259 tonnes for the 787-9.

Inside, the difference is smaller but it matters. Airbus says the A350 cabin is 5.7 m (225 in) wide, which it says is 25 cm (10 in) wider than the 787’s. Both normally have nine seats per row in economy.

Seats and Capacity

Airbus lists the A350-900 at 332 to 352 seats in a typical three-class layout. Boeing lists the 787-9 at 250 to 325 seats in two classes, and its example layout has 290. The two makers use different example cabins, so the fairest comparison is the certified maximum: 440 for the A350-900 and 420 for the 787-9.

In practice, the A350-900 usually has about 20 to 40 more seats than the same airline’s 787-9. For a bigger jump in size, see our Boeing 787-9 vs 787-10 comparison.

Range: Now Very Close

Boeing lists the 787-9 at up to 8,300 nautical miles (15,370 km). That figure includes a higher maximum take-off weight that the FAA cleared in March 2026, which Boeing says added more than 300 nautical miles.

Airbus lists the A350-900 at up to 8,500 nautical miles (15,750 km) for its heaviest version, and 7,500 nautical miles for the standard version. Airlines choose the weight version when they order, so not every A350-900 can fly the maximum range.

The A350 also has a special long-range model, the A350-900ULR, which Airbus says can fly 9,700 nautical miles nonstop. Singapore Airlines uses it on flights between Singapore and New York, some of the longest flights in the world. There is no 787 equivalent.

Fuel Efficiency and Operating Cost

Both aircraft burn far less fuel than the jets they replace. Airbus says the A350 has a 25% advantage in fuel burn over previous-generation competitors, and Boeing makes a similar claim for the 787.

Between the two, the answer depends on how you measure it:

• Per flight: the 787-9 is lighter, so it usually burns less fuel on the same route.
• Per seat: the A350-900 carries more passengers, which spreads its fuel over more seats.

Airlines therefore tend to use the 787-9 on routes with fewer passengers and the A350-900 on busier ones. Neither Airbus nor Boeing publishes current list prices, and airlines pay negotiated prices that are not made public.

Engines

The 787-9 offers airlines a choice of two engines: the GE Aerospace GEnx-1B or the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000. The A350-900 has one engine option, the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84, with 84,000 lbf of take-off thrust.

A choice of engines lets 787 customers compare offers from two makers. A single engine keeps the A350 simpler to support. Both aircraft are certified for long flights over water under ETOPS rules.

Passenger Comfort: A350 vs 787

For passengers, the two aircraft are closer than most online debates suggest.

• Cabin width: the A350 is wider, so nine-abreast economy seats are usually a little wider than on a nine-abreast 787.
• Windows: the 787 has larger windows that you dim with a button instead of a pull-down shade.
• Cabin pressure: Airbus says the A350 cabin is pressurised to 6,000 feet, and Boeing quotes the same for the 787. Older aluminium jets are usually at about 8,000 feet.
• Noise: Airbus says the A350 has the quietest twin-aisle cabin. Boeing does not publish a directly comparable figure, and there is no independent test that settles it.
• Business and economy seats: these are chosen by each airline, not by Airbus or Boeing. The same airline can have different seats on each type.

787-9 and A350-900 in India

Air India flies both types. It received its first A350-900 in December 2023, configured with 28 business, 24 premium economy and 264 economy seats. It also flies Boeing 787-8s and 787-9s; the 787-9s joined Air India from Vistara when the two airlines merged.

IndiGo started its long-haul flights in 2025 with 787-9s leased from Norse Atlantic Airways, and it has ordered A350-900s for the future. For a broader look at long-haul jets in India, see our guide to widebody aircraft.

Which Airlines Fly the 787-9 and A350-900?

Many large airlines fly both. Examples include Air India, Qatar Airways, Air France and Lufthansa.

• 787-9: United Airlines, American Airlines, Air New Zealand (the first operator, from July 2014), All Nippon Airways, British Airways and many others.
• A350-900: Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways (the first operator), Delta Air Lines, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa and many others.

Airbus says it had delivered 718 A350s to 41 operators by the end of March 2026, including the larger A350-1000. Boeing has delivered more 787s, partly because the 787 entered service four years earlier. The A350-1000 and Boeing 777-9 compete one size up; see our Airbus A350-1000 vs Boeing 777-9 comparison.

Which Is Better: 787-9 or A350-900?

• Choose the 787-9 for long routes with fewer passengers, where the lower trip cost matters more than extra seats.
• Choose the A350-900 for busier long-haul routes, where 20 to 40 more seats lower the cost of each seat.

As a passenger, you will rarely notice a big difference. The airline’s seat, legroom and service matter more than the aircraft type. For the narrowbody version of this rivalry, read our Airbus A320neo vs Boeing 737 MAX 8 comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

Featured image: FlyingFuel composite of photos by 4300streetcar (CC BY 4.0) and Bruce Cowan (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.