Boeing has sold more 787 Dreamliners in 2025 than in any year except when it launched
November 18, 2025
Boeing says 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most successful years in the history of the 787 Dreamliner programme, with sales outpacing every year except the aircraft’s original launch.
Speaking in Dubai, Darren Hulst, Boeing’s vice-president of commercial marketing, described demand for the 787 family as “extraordinary”, fuelled by surging long-haul recovery, network diversification, and regional growth in the Middle East.
“We’ve outsold the A350 and the A330 combined, and this is the second best year for 787 sales, only to the launch year,” Hulst told media at the Dubai Airshow.
Boeing has booked 320 orders for the Dreamliner so far in 2025, against 68 deliveries, a ratio that highlights both strong demand and a growing backlog. With around 40 days left in the year, Hulst suggested the momentum is unlikely to slow.
The sales surge caps a broader set of milestones for Boeing’s efficient, clean-sheet widebody.
“Over the last 14 years, since the entry into service of the 787, airlines around the world have launched more than 500 new routes that were never served before launching with the 787,” Hulst said. “One milestone that we reached this year was carrying the 1 billionth passenger on the 787, and today, routinely, 5 million passengers fly on the 787.”
Boeing’s 787-10 leads the charge
One of the clearest indicators of market confidence is the performance of the largest Dreamliner variant.
“The 787-10 has represented about half the sales in 2025 of all the 787 models that we’ve sold to customers,” Hulst said.
Total 787-10 orders have now exceeded 400 aircraft, with additional uplift coming from airlines converting earlier 787-9 commitments to the larger model. Hulst argued that the -10’s combination of “revenue and efficiency” is proving “pretty unbeatable” for high-density medium- and long-haul missions.
Why the Middle East is still a Dreamliner stronghold
Beyond headline sales numbers, Boeing argues that the Middle East remains one of the most strategically important regions for the 787. Hulst noted how the region’s location between continents makes long, thin routes commercially viable, provided airlines have the right aircraft.
“If you specifically look at Middle Eastern airlines, you can see how the 787 is being used, not only on existing routes, but expanding networks to and from the Middle East,” he said. Today, airlines in the region operate 116 routes with the Dreamliner, but it’s the new city pairs it has opened up that really highlight the benefits.
“What I think is fascinating is that 71 new city pairs have been launched with the 787 over the last decade or a little bit more,” Hulst added. “So that’s almost one in five of the new routes that have been added globally.”
Industry data supports this. Gulf carriers have increasingly deployed 787-8s and 787-9s to connect secondary cities in Europe, Africa, East Asia, and the Indian subcontinent; markets that would historically have been unviable with 777-300ERs or A380s.
Lower trip costs, improved range, and “right-sizing” have allowed airlines to diversify beyond classic hub-to-hub flying.
“The 787 offers the right size, the right range, and ultimately, the right economic value proposition so that airlines can be successful regardless of how big they are relative to their competitors,” Hulst concluded.
Proof at the Dubai Airshow with Gulf Air commitment
A fresh example arrived in Dubai today, with the finalisation of Gulf Air’s order for 15 additional 787s.
“It highlights the versatility of the 787 in a regional, in a medium-haul, and ultimately a long-haul network,” Hulst said.
For Boeing, the message is simple: the Dreamliner is not just maintaining its relevance — it is accelerating. If current trends hold, 2025 could yet finish as the 787’s strongest year since the day it was unveiled.
