Today, the two aircraft that are expanding and reshaping ultra-long-haul flying are the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787-9. While both variants of the A350, the A350-900 and A350-1000, are capable of ultra-long-haul flights, the 787-9 is the only variant of the Boeing 787 that routinely pushes the envelope of long-distance flying. The smaller 787-8 has limited range and poorer operating economics, while the larger, more economical 787-10 has the shortest range out of the Dreamliner family.

United Airlines is the world’s biggest customer of the Boeing 787, having accumulated a total of 221 orders, and it is the world’s largest operator of the 787-9, with 47 examples in service and another 85 on order. The Boeing 787-9 flies out of most of United’s hubs, and its route portfolio is extremely diverse. Among its assigned roles, United uses the 787-9 to operate its longest routes. Using data from Cirium, an aviation data analytics company, these are United Airlines’ longest routes with the Boeing 787-9 in 2026.

Overview Of The United Airlines Boeing 787 Fleet

United Airlines currently operates 80 Boeing 787s and holds orders for an additional 141 Dreamliners, which will tally up to 221 787s when all is said and done. Currently, all aircraft are powered by the General Electric GEnx-1B, although 50 future orders do not have firm engine selections yet. Of its 80 aircraft currently in service, 12 are the smallest 787-8 variant, which were all delivered before the 787-9 entered service in 2014. United also has a fleet of 21 787-10s, which will be joined by another 56 examples beginning in 2028, totalling 77 aircraft.

The Boeing 787-9 is the most common variant in United’s fleet, with 47 in service and an additional 85 on order, for a total of 132 787-9s. While the 787-8 fleet is concentrated in Chicago-O’Hare and Washington-Dulles, and the 787-10 is concentrated in Chicago-O’Hare and Newark, the 787-9 operates out of Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington-Dulles. As a whole, the 787-9 is becoming United’s long-haul workhorse, flying to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

United Airlines configures its Boeing 787-9s in a three-class layout with 48 Polaris seats, 21 Premium Plus seats, and 188 economy seats (including 39 Economy Plus seats), for a total capacity of 257 passengers. In addition, the next 30 787-9 deliveries will feature a new layout coded as « 78L » (the current configuration is coded as « 78P »). The 78L aircraft will feature just 222 seats, as the Polaris cabin will seat 64 passengers, while Premium Plus will seat 35. The economy cabin will consist of just 123 seats, including 39 Economy Plus seats. These aircraft will also debut new interiors.

The Three Longest United 787-9 Routes

United’s longest route with the Boeing 787-9, as well as its overall longest route by great circle distance, is from Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. This route operates daily during the winter season, ending on March 26 and restarting on October 24. Houston is primarily used as a Latin America hub by United, but the route to Sydney was an outside-the-box decision that taps into a strong market while also improving aircraft utilization during the carrier’s slower winter season.

United’s second-longest route by great circle distance is from San Francisco International Airport to Singapore Changi Airport. Whereas the Houston to Sydney route is 7,470 NM (13,834 km), United’s route to Singapore measures 7,340 NM (13,593 km). However, the Singapore route operates year-round, and flight times are blocked for up to 17 hours and 40 minutes on the Singapore route, whereas United blocks 17 hours and 35 minutes for the Houston route. In actuality, flight times for both routes range between 16 and 17 hours.

The third longest route operated by United Airlines with the Boeing 787-9 is from San Francisco to Adelaide, measuring at 7,051 NM (13,069 km). This route was launched on December 11, 2025, and it will be operated thrice weekly until March 26, returning on December 3. Adelaide is United’s fourth destination in Australia, and while Adelaide is a relatively small city that isn’t even connected to Europe, the addition is a creative way to tap into premium leisure demand while also improving winter aircraft utilization. In addition, United may have received financial incentives from Adelaide Airport.

United’s 787-9 Routes To South Africa

Delta Air Lines has long operated a daily nonstop route from Atlanta to Johannesburg, which remains one of the world’s longest and most challenging routes. In December 2019, however, United commenced Boeing 787 service from Newark to Cape Town, and its route from Newark to Johannesburg, launched in 2021, is its fourth-longest route using the 787-9. This route measures at 6,943 NM (12,858 km), and it operates year-round, with frequencies ranging from six times per week to daily.

The carrier’s fifth-longest route with the Boeing 787-9 is from Washington-Dulles to Cape Town, a route which spans 6,886 NM (12,753 km). This route was the most recent addition out of United’s three routes to South Africa, having commenced in 2022, and is operated thrice daily year-round. Meanwhile, United’s first South African route, its year-round service from Newark to Cape Town, is the shortest of the three, spanning a distance of 6,793 NM (12,580 km), and is United’s eighth-longest 787-9 route overall.

These distances are immense, but what really makes service to Johannesburg particularly challenging is the airfield’s elevation. With an elevation of 5,558 ft (1,694 m), aircraft operating ultra-long-haul flights often face takeoff weight limitations due to the high altitude and occasionally high temperatures. However, United’s services depart at night, when the temperature is lower. In addition, United Airlines had operated the Boeing 777-200ER on the route from Washington-Dulles to Cape Town in 2024, but the route was later switched back to the 787.

United Airlines’ Dreamliner Services To Australia

United Airlines is the largest US airline across the Pacific Ocean, with extensive service to both Asia and Oceania. This network is largely sustained through United’s fortress hub in San Francisco, a city with high travel demand to Oceania and the highest demand for Asia service in the United States. In addition, United holds its own in Los Angeles, operating a substantial network to Asia and Oceania, although San Francisco is its primary trans-Pacific hub.

Houston to Sydney, United’s longest route, is the carrier’s only Australian route that doesn’t originate from San Francisco or Los Angeles. The carrier’s new service from San Francisco to Adelaide is its third-longest 787-9 route. Its route from Los Angeles to Melbourne, meanwhile, is its sixth-longest route using the Boeing 787-9, measuring at 6,883 NM (12,748 km), while the route from San Francisco to Melbourne measures at 6,826 NM (12,641 km), making it the carrier’s seventh-longest 787 route.

While Los Angeles and San Francisco are both Boeing 787 bases, United mainly relies on the Boeing 777 for long-haul flights out of San Francisco, whereas the 787 is the only widebody based in Los Angeles. You see this dynamic with the carrier’s services to Sydney, which is served from both hubs. The route from Los Angeles is the carrier’s ninth-longest 787-9 route, and is operated daily. The route from San Francisco to Sydney, meanwhile, is slightly shorter and only switches to the Boeing 787 later in 2026, whereas it is currently flown by the Boeing 777.

United’s Boeing 787-9 Flights To Asia

Despite the carrier’s extensive network to Asia, only one route operated by the Boeing 787 makes it into the top ten (San Francisco to Singapore). This is because most of United’s Asian destinations are served exclusively from San Francisco, and a majority of these flights are either operated by the Boeing 777-200ER or the 777-300ER. The carrier’s network to Asia from its other hubs, meanwhile, is more limited, as it mainly focuses on connecting its hubs to Tokyo, home of joint venture partner All Nippon Airways.

Newark, however, is the exception. From here, United Airlines operates the Boeing 787-9 on its 11th longest route with the 787, from Newark to Delhi, measuring at 6,364 NM (11,786 km) by great circle distance. The carrier’s double daily service from Los Angeles to Hong Kong is its 12th longest route, and seasonal services from SFO to Christchurch come in at 13. 14th, 15th, and 16th, meanwhile, are United’s routes from Newark to Seoul (beginning in September), Tokyo-Haneda, and Tokyo-Narita, while its flights to Narita from Houston come in at number 17.

As a whole, the Boeing 787-9 is United’s bread and butter aircraft for ultra-long-haul routes to Australia, and is also widely used for services from Newark. For its Asia services, however, United prefers to concentrate flights at San Francisco, its closest mainland US hub to Asia, and to use the Boeing 777. However, flights to Asia from other United hubs mainly use the Boeing 787-9, while the 787-10 appears on the routes to Tokyo from Los Angeles and Chicago.