The Boeing 787-8 was the first customer-delivered 787 variant.
The 787-8 was the initial production version of Boeing’s Dreamliner family. All Nippon Airways, commonly known as ANA, received the first aircraft in September 2011 after a lengthy development and certification program. ANA then operated the type’s first commercial flight in October 2011.
Boeing designed the 787 family around fuel efficiency, long-range capability, and extensive use of composite materials. The 787-8 is shorter than the later 787-9 and 787-10, allowing it to serve routes with lower passenger demand while retaining substantial range.
The 787-9 later became the most widely ordered version, while the 787-10 offered the greatest passenger capacity but less range. The 787-3 was proposed as a shorter-range, high-capacity model for Japanese domestic routes, but it did not enter customer service. Those later variants should not be mistaken for the original 787-8.