EASA Approves Increased MTOW for Boeing 787-9: Key Updates Explained

On December 17, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published an update to the type certificate data sheet (Type Certificate Data Sheet – TCDS) for the Boeing 787 family, highlighting an increase in the maximum allowable weights for the 787-9 model.

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With this update, the maximum taxi weight (Maximum Taxi Weight – MTW) for the Boeing 787-9 has increased to 563,000 pounds (255,372 kilograms), while the maximum takeoff weight (Maximum Takeoff Weight – MTOW) is now 561,500 pounds (254,692 kilograms). These changes apply to aircraft equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, with 74,000 pounds of thrust, and General Electric GEnx engines, with thrust ratings of 74,000 or 75,000 pounds.

Despite these increases, EASA warned that the maximum weight limits may vary depending on operational constraints related to the center of gravity, fuel density, and maximum fuel load, as outlined in the Approved Flight Manual (AFM) of each operator.

The update, also reported by Simple Flying, confirms that other weight limits, such as the maximum landing weight (Maximum Landing Weight – MLW), maximum zero fuel weight (Maximum Zero Fuel Weight – MZFW), and minimum flight and zero fuel weights (Zero Fuel Weight – ZFW), have not been modified.

International outlook and future developments

Meanwhile, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not updated the 787’s TCDS since August, although it references the maximum weights approved in the operators’ specific AFMs. These non-public documents can vary between airlines.

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In the industry context, Boeing is currently working on increased gross weight (IGW) variants for the 787-9 and 787-10. According to The Air Current, these versions could add up to 12,000 pounds (5,443 kilograms) to the MTOW of the 787-10, bringing it to 572,000 pounds (259,454 kilograms).

These modifications offer airlines greater operational flexibility in terms of payload and range, while engine developments contribute to improved reliability and efficiency. However, specific operational constraints and airline configurations may lead to variations in the reported weights.