The Boeing 787-9 is the middle variant of the the Boeing 787 family. This variant is longer than the 787-8 but shorter than the 787-10. The Boeing 787-9 is designed with the same composite materials & technologies of the remaining 787 family and is positioned to compete with the Airbus A330, A340, and A350 while inadvertently replacing older Boeing 777-200 examples. The 787-9 still has the ability of flying 'thin' routes but airlines have placed this aircraft on higher demand routes to expand their operations or replace older equipment.