The aircraft Boeing built to replace the Boeing 767, at least in the passenger configuration, is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. However, a freighter variant of the 787 was never built, and the closest thing to a Boeing 767 freighter replacement has still not arrived. Meanwhile, Airbus built variants of the A330neo and Airbus A350 to offer alternatives for airlines replacing their Boeing 767s.

With the end of Boeing 767 production as a passenger aircraft and the termination of the 747 program, the 737, 777, and 787 families are the only Boeing aircraft offered as commercial passenger aircraft. Of these, only the 737 and 787 will be delivered as passenger aircraft in 2025. The Boeing 767 was a successful aircraft, and its General Electric CF6 turbofan engines are arguably the most successful of their class in history. Here is what to know about the aircraft replacing the Boeing 767.

The Boeing 767 Widebody Aircraft

The Boeing 767 remains in production as a freighter as the KC-46A Pegasus aerial tanker for the United States, Japanese, and Israeli air forces. The final passenger Boeing 767 was delivered to the Kazakhstan airline Air Astana in 2014. This aircraft, MSN 42223, Line Number 1068, is registered EI-KEC and is a 767-300ER variant.

The Boeing 767 is a widebody airliner that first flew in 1981 and entered service in 1982. The aircraft underwent a number of updates and stretches. The most popular variant was the extended-range 737-300ER that entered service in 1988. The two largest operators of passenger Boeing 767s are Delta and United, both of which operate 767-300ER and 767-400ER variants.

However, the passenger Boeing 767 is now a previous-generation aircraft and struggles to compete against more modern and efficient aircraft like the Boeing 787 and Airbus A330neo. While they are being phased out around the world, some will continue flying into the 2030s.

Replaced By The Boeing 787

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the clean-sheet aircraft Boeing built to replace the 767. The Dreamliner is a generational leap over the Boeing 767. The extensive use of light-weight composite materials, the efficient GEnx and Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, and other developments and innovations make it a worthy successor to the Boeing 767. The Dreamliner didn’t just offer increased efficiency; it also came with a much longer range.

The 787-8 comes with a range of 7,305 nautical miles, the 787-9 has a 7,565-nautical-mile range, while the 787-10 has a range of 6,330 nautical miles. This opened up long-haul and ultra-long-haul routes that were unavailable to the Boeing 767. This allowed the 787 to compete with larger long-range widebody aircraft like the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747. For comparison, the Boeing 767-300ER has a range of 5,980 nautical miles, while the Boeing 767-400ER has a range of 5,625 nautical miles.

The smaller 787-8 was designed to replace the 767-200ER, the stretched 787-9 was targeted to replace the Boeing 767-300ER, and the further-stretched 787-10 was intended to replace the 767-400ER. Various airlines like United Airlines, are gradually replacing their fleets of Boeing 767s with Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

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Airbus A330neo & A350 Competitors

The Airbus A330neo is a reengined update based on the older Airbus A330. The Airbus A350 is a larger, clean-sheet design that competes with variants of the Boeing 787 and the upcoming Boeing 777X. The two A330neo variants also offer dramatically improved ranges compared with the Boeing 767. The A330-800 has a range of 8,100 nautical miles with 257 passengers, while the A330-900 ranges 7,350 nautical miles with 287 passengers.

The Airbus A350 is the world’s newest clean-sheet widebody aircraft and first entered service in 2015. The shorter, but more popular, A350-900 variant has a range of 8,500 nautical miles, extended to a whopping 9,700 nautical miles with the A350-900ULR built for Singapore Airlines. The stretched A350-1000 has a range of around 9,100 nautical miles. They have a standard three-class seating capacity of between 300 and 410 passengers.

Delta is one example of replacing its Boeing 767 aircraft with Airbus aircraft. In fact, Delta is the only US carrier entirely moving away from Boeing widebodied aircraft as it switches over to Airbus widebody aircraft. Delta is purchasing both Airbus A330-900s and Airbus A350-900s as it phases out its aging Boeing 767-300ER fleet.

Boeing 777-8 Freighter

Boeing’s 767F has proven a popular freighter, and it remains in production. However, deliveries are expected to end around 2027. The final orders have likely been placed, and the old aircraft will no longer be able to be produced as it will no longer meet newer, stricter environmental requirements, specifically the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards for carbon emissions and noise. The FAA has granted the 767-300F a five-year extension to 2033, although this only applies to the United States. Currently, the Boeing freighters are the smaller Boeing 737-800 converted freighter, the Boeing 767F, the Boeing 777F, and the out-of-production Boeing 747-8 freighter.

Boeing is working on introducing the Boeing 777-8 Freighter, which will be the “world’s most capable and fuel-efficient freighter.” This will compete with the upcoming Airbus A350F, also in development. This means that new build freighter 767s will be replaced by the 777-8 Freighter and the Airbus A350F, as well as conversions, including from older passenger Boeing 767s. The 777-8 Freighter will also replace the Boeing 777F, which is currently in production.

In 2025, the only Boeing widebody passenger jets being delivered are Boeing 787s. This is due to a lull between the last Boeing 777-300ERs having been delivered and the first Boeing 777X aircraft scheduled to be delivered in 2026. Boeing 767s and 777s are only being delivered as freighters (or tankers) in 2025. Boeing’s remaining orderbook for the Boeing 767 shows 95 unfulfilled orders, of which 67 are military tankers and 28 are 767-300F freighters.

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JetZero Z4 Blended Wing Body

The JetZero Z4 is a new blended wing body (BWB) aircraft being developed by the start-up company, JetZero, in partnership with Northrop Grumman. JetZero is planning to fly its first full-sized demonstrator for the US Air Force in 2027 and then introduce it as a mid-sized commercial passenger aircraft in 2030 or soon after. JetZero has just announced Greensboro in North Carolina as the site where it will build its sprawling final assembly facilities.

The revolutionary aircraft promises significant fuel savings compared with today’s conventional tube-and-wing aircraft. The aircraft is expected to have a capacity for 250 passengers and have a range of 5,000 nautical miles. It’s unclear if the seating capacity is based on the maximum seating capacity in a single-class configuration or not. For comparison, the Boeing 767-300ER has a standard two-class seating capacity of 261 passengers, and the 767-400ER typically seats around 296 in a typical two-class configuration.

While the JetZero Z4 appears to have lower seating capacity and shorter range, it may still prove an option to replace some 767s on certain routes. The program has attracted the investment of United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Delta Airlines. Both United and Delta have Boeing 767s that will eventually need to be replaced, although it’s unclear if they only see it as a replacement for some narrowbody aircraft. According to JetZero, United’s collaboration includes a path to purchase up to 200 aircraft.

Replaced By Various Aircraft

The aircraft Boeing built to replace the Boeing 767 in a passenger role was the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, while the Boeing 777-8 Freighter will be the closest thing to a new-build freighter replacement. The Airbus A330neo, the Airbus A350, and even potentially the upcoming JetZero Z4 blended wing body could offer replacement options for airlines retiring their old Boeing 767s.

All this means that there is not one single aircraft that has completely replaced the Boeing 767. Meanwhile, in the Air Force, the KC-46A Pegasus is the partial replacement for older tanker aircraft like the KC-135 Stratotanker and the KC-10 Extender. The Air Force is currently developing other tanker options to serve alongside its KC-46As, including a tanker application for the JetZero Z4.

A total of 1,335 Boeing 767s have been delivered over the years. While its production has not yet ended, the program is continuing to wind down. It has been outproduced by its Boeing 787 successor. In the 43 years since its introduction in 1982, the Boeing 767 has received 1,430 non-canceled orders. Meanwhile, since entering service 14 years ago in 2025, the Boeing 787 has received around 2,200 firm orders, of which around 1,200 have been delivered. The Airbus A350 has received a total of 1,429 orders, of which 663 have been delivered. Around 162 A330neos have been delivered, with another 260 on order.

ICAO Code

B763

IATA Code

763

Amount Built

681

Crew

2

Passengers

218 – 351