Boeing said on March 23, 2026, that the Federal Aviation Administration has certified increased maximum takeoff weight options for the 787-9 and 787-10, a change that will give airline customers the ability to carry more payload or operate longer routes with the widebody jets.
The company said the certification applies to an increased maximum takeoff weight, or iMTOW, for both models. Boeing said the first aircraft built with the capability are already moving toward delivery, marking the next step in bringing the higher-weight option into service.
Boeing said the upgrade followed airline demand for more flexibility from the 787 family.
“We started this effort after airlines sent Boeing a clear message: they wanted greater flexibility,” said John Murphy, 787 Chief Project Engineer. “Some wanted the 787-10 to fly longer missions; others wanted the 787-9 to carry additional payload with range trade-offs. Boeing designed a solution that delivers both.”
The company said all 787-9 and 787-10 aircraft assembled as of December 2025 are structurally capable of the higher weight. Boeing added that airlines can choose whether to activate the capability at delivery or later, since certified operating weight can affect factors such as airport fees and route planning.
For the 787-9, Boeing said the roughly 10,000-pound increase would enable about three metric tons of additional payload or more than 300 nautical miles of added range. For the 787-10, the company said the roughly 14,000-pound increase would enable about five metric tons of additional payload or more than 400 nautical miles of added range.
Boeing said the added capability could help airlines open new routes, reach underserved markets, and rethink network planning.
Air New Zealand, the launch customer for the 787-9, will be among the first operators to use the higher-weight capability, Boeing said. One of the airline’s 787-9s with the increased maximum takeoff weight has completed final assembly and is preparing for final inspections and flight tests, Boeing said.
“It’s incredibly exciting to see our first 787-9 with the increased maximum takeoff weight completing assembly and preparing for its final inspections and flight tests,” said Baden Smith, Air New Zealand General Manager of Strategy, Networks, and Fleet. “This upgrade gives us greater ability to carry additional payload on our ultra-long-haul routes, an important enabler for our network ambitions, supporting trade, tourism, and better connectivity for New Zealand.”
Boeing said the certification followed years of engineering, testing, and coordination with regulators to validate structural loads, performance and systems behavior at the higher weight. The upgrade comes 15 years after the 787 entered service in 2011, with more than 1,250 deliveries of the type completed worldwide.