Boeing’s 787 first flew in 2009 and ushered in a new era of composite construction and more
efficient widebody aircraft. It also introduced a more spread-out production chain for Boeing,
with suppliers in several countries and two US production lines.
While the aircraft has had its issues, both in design and construction, it remains a popular
and successful development. But… What exactly does it take to produce the 787 Dreamliner?
Prior to the 787, Boeing had great success with its widebody aircraft. The 707 was the first
truly successful aircraft of the jet age. Later, the 747 took capacity to new levels
and was not matched for decades. And the 777 has become the best-selling widebody of all time.
The 777 first flew in 1997, and Boeing was considering what aircraft would be
next to follow this. Rather than develop a new variant or upgrade,
it chose to go with a new aircraft design. This would build on the twin-engine success
of the 777 but focus further on efficiency improvements and lower operating costs.
It opted for a smaller 200-300 passenger capacity – essentially
making it a replacement for the 767 rather than a rival for the 777.
Boeing set out to make the 787 more efficient to operate and to offer a lower cost per seat
for airlines. It designed the 787 to be around 20% more efficient than the 767.
It also took into account the growing attention that airlines, governments,
and passengers were now paying to the environmental impact of aviation.
The main design changes that contributed to the efficiency improvements included:
Composite fuselage construction. The 787 was the first major commercial aircraft
to use carbon fiber composite components in the fuselage and wing construction.
This makes the aircraft lighter but still offers high strength.
Aerodynamic improvements… Including raked wingtips,
which reduce wing vortex drag in a similar way to winglets.
New, more efficient engines. The 787 can take either the General Electric GEnx
or the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine.
Boeing launched the project, initially known as 7E7, in January 2003,
with the E standing for ‘efficiency.’ By July 2003, the Dreamliner branding was in place,
and its first customer order (from Japanese Airline All Nippon Airways) came in April 2004.
Aircraft development is an expensive undertaking – especially a new clean-sheet design like the 787.
The total development cost was estimated at over $32 billion.
The 787 first flew in 2009 (delayed from 2007) and entered service in October 2011,
with ANA. It also embarked on an ambitious global marketing tour.
Starting in December 2011, Boeing began a six-month ‘Dream Tour,’ including visits
across Europe, Africa, China, Thailand, the Middle East, and the United States.
The 787 and Airbus’ response with the A350 are good examples of how the two companies compete and
learn from each other. In many ways, Boeing’s move to develop the 787 was a bold one. A clean-sheet
design with such an efficiency focus was a costly move in a market that was not yet proven.
At the time, Airbus was focusing on larger capacity aircraft with the A380.
Boeing still had the 747 to compete with this, but ultimately, the A380 would
give Airbus the lead in terms of capacity. However, smaller and more efficient quickly
turned out to be where the industry would ultimately head. Prior to the launch (and
success) of the 787, Airbus had been planning a new mid-capacity widebody
based on the A330. This would have new engines and a partial carbon fiber construction but
otherwise would share much with its predecessor. The European planemaker announced a revised clean
sheet A350XWB at the 2006 Farnborough Air Show. This late decision, though,
meant the A350XWB did not enter service until 2015 (with Qatar Airways), four years after the 787.
Both Boeing and Airbus often construct aircraft in several locations, with a central production
line for final assembly. Airbus was conceived around this concept, with several smaller
European manufacturers coming together in 1970 to take on larger US competition. Starting with
the Airbus A300, components have always been constructed at several locations around Europe.
Boeing has been more focused on production in the US, with production facilities at
Renton and Everett, Washington, and later in North Charleston, South Carolina. The 787 was
originally assembled at Everett (along with all other Boeing widebodies). But in 2011, a second
assembly line was added at North Charleston to handle the increased production rate. The 787-10
is produced only in North Charleston, and Boeing is currently moving all 787 production there.
Boeing significantly increased the level of outsourcing and third-party construction for
the 787. Although all final assembly has taken place in North Charleston,
many key components are constructed in other locations and by other companies. This includes:
The main wings and central wing box, by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan
Wing trailing edge, by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan
Wingtips, by Korean Air in Korea The tail and horizontal stabilizer,
as well as central fuselage section, are built by Alenia Aeronautica in Italy
Forward fuselage sections by Spirit AeroSystems in the US and Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan
Main landing gear by a combination of Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan
and Messier-Bugatti-Dowty in the UK Passenger doors by Groupe Latécoère in France
Cargo doors built by Saab in Sweden, and finally..
The aft fuselage section and the tail fin, for which Boeing handles the construction
Boeing today has four large fuselage transporters, known as Dreamlifters.
These were developed from the 747-400, and feature a lengthened, expanded fuselage to carry aircraft
components. The Dreamlifter was introduced for 787 assembly, helping more efficiently bring together
components from Japan, Italy, France, and the UK to the South Carolina and Washington factories.
The Dreamlifter can carry the separate fuselage sections and the wings of the 787.
However, it is not large enough for the 787-10 mid-fuselage section.
After it is assembled from smaller components in North Charleston, it cannot be flown to
Everett – which is why all production moved to North Charleston for the 787 Dreamliner.
In October 2020, Boeing announced that it would be consolidating all 787 production to its North
Charleston facility beginning in 2021. This came following the reduced demand and slowed
production in 2020 and 2021, and it seems likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.
The last 787 at Everett was completed in February 2021.
As we have mentioned, the 787 is focused on efficiency, and we can see this clearly with
the total redesign of the airframe. It is the first commercial aircraft to rely heavily on
composite materials rather than aluminum alloys. Around 50% of the materials used are carbon fiber
reinforced plastic and other composites, with only 20% aluminum. 15% of it is titanium, which is also
a metal, but proven to be lower maintenance. Overall, this gives the 787 a 20% weight
reduction compared to conventional construction (according to Boeing).
It also reduces the required maintenance of the fuselage due to fatigue and corrosion.
The composite fuselage had a significant influence on 787 construction. Composite structures can be
molded into any shape. This has allowed separate entire fuselage ‘barrel’ sections to be made in
different locations, rather than aluminum sheets that needed to be bolted together.
You can see this carbon fiber construction in action if you look at the wings as the 787
takes off. The more flexible wings bend upwards and remain this way in flight.
This is more efficient (with less drag) and helps performance.
Moving forward with just one final assembly line in North Charleston, South Carolina,
components will either be built at that location or transported there for assembly.
Within this facility, there are separate factories for the sub-assembly of two different fuselage
sections: These are the mid-body section (with the sections from Italy and Japan)
and aft-body sections (for the final section of the fuselage and the tail section).
In these facilities, separate sections are joined together. The necessary wiring,
ducts, hydraulics, and other equipment are also added to the fuselage sections at this stage.
Previously, fuselage sections for the 787-8 and
787-9 from here would be transported to Everett, too, for final assembly.
There is then a further facility known as the Interiors Responsibility Centre.
This assembles many of the necessary interior equipment, such as floor and ceiling panels,
storage bins, and crew rest facilities. Lastly, one main building houses the
final assembly line. This can handle up to eight 787s at the same time.
It brings together the previously sub-assembled fuselage sections with the wings and tail.
Production at the North Charleston final assembly line completed 14 aircraft per
month in 2019. This has slowed significantly in 2020 and 2021, both with the pandemic and
several quality control issues. By the end of 2020, this had fallen to five per month.
There have been several separate issues identified and investigated by the FAA.
This includes problems with the joining material (known as shims) used to fill gaps where parts of
the fuselage were mated, wider than allowable gaps between components in the horizontal stabilizer,
and most recently, issues with decompression panels that separate the cargo area from the
passenger area. These issues led to aircraft groundings and inspections
and a review of the assembly line. In March 2021, the first 787 since October 2020
was handed over to a customer. In late April, though, its inventory backlog was at around 100
aircraft. With the issues fixed, Boeing hopes it can deliver these by the end of 2021.
We’ll have to wait and see if the planemaker can finally catch up.
The 787 has proved a popular aircraft with airlines, with its point-to-point
abilities and efficient operation. It has not been without its challenges, though,
and production lines have been a big part of this.
What do you think the future holds for this efficient airframe?
Will we see production numbers hit pre-pandemic figures again, or has the sun set on the
Dreamliner? Feel free to discuss the 787, its construction, and future, further in the comments.