The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has certified an increased maximum takeoff weight (iMTOW) for the B787-9 and B787-10 types, Boeing announced in a press release.
The new iMTOW allows airlines “the option to carry more payload or fly longer routes,” the manufacturer said, with Air New Zealand (NZ, Auckland International) being one of the first operators to use the new capability.
All B787-9 and B787-10 aircraft assembled as of December 2025 are structurally capable of the greater weight, allowing airlines to activate the capability at delivery or later, Boeing said.
Explaining the decision to raise the iMTOW, John Murphy, chief project engineer for the B787 programme, explained: “Some wanted the B787-10 to fly longer missions; others wanted the B787-9 to carry additional payload with range trade-offs.”
For the B787-9, the roughly 4,540 kilograme (10,000 pound) increase enables about three metric tonnes of extra payload, or over 300 nautical miles (560 kilometres) of additional range. For the B787-10, the 6,350 kilogramme (14,000 pounds) increase enables some five metric tons of extra payload, or more than 400 nautical miles (740 kilometres) of extra range.
Baden Smith, general manager for strategy and fleets at Air New Zealand, commented that “this upgrade gives us greater ability to carry additional payload on our ultra long-haul routes – an important enabler for our network ambitions.” The carrier currently operates fourteen B787-9s and plans to add five more -9s and five -10s, ch-aviation fleets data shows.
