How airliners are made
The Boeing 787 was the first airliner with an airframe made mostly of composite, and its wings flexed 25 feet in testing.
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The short version
An airliner is built in sections, often in different countries. Wings, fuselage barrels, tail and doors are shaped from aluminum, titanium and carbon-fiber composite, then shipped to a final assembly hall. There the sections are joined, engines hung, wiring and cabin fitted, and the whole aircraft is painted, tested and flown before delivery.
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Shape the metal skin and frames
Aluminum sheet and plate are cut, milled and formed into skin panels, ribs and frames. Landing gear and wing fittings are machined from titanium and steel.
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Lay up the composite sections
On a 787, much of the airframe is carbon-fiber composite, built up in layers around a form. The airliner was the first with an airframe made mostly of composite materials.
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Cure the layers hard
Heat and pressure harden the resin so the layers bond into a single solid shell, light and stiff.
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Forge the landing gear
Heavy steel and titanium forgings take the shock of landing, then are machined to final shape and finished.
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Join the big sections
Fuselage sections, wings and tail arrive from plants around the world and are fastened together in a final assembly hall. The 787's fuselage sections came from Italy, Japan, South Korea and the US.
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Hang the engines
Each engine is lifted on a pylon under the wing, and fuel lines, electrics and controls are hooked up.
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Wire and fit the cabin
Kilometers of wiring are laid through the body before panels, galleys, lavatories and seats go in.
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Paint the livery
The airplane is sanded, primed, painted in the airline's colors and sealed with clear coat.
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Test, then fly
A test airframe is pressurized past service limits, and wings are bent upward before the real flight tests begin. The 787's test fuselage held a pressure difference of 14.9 psi, 150 percent of what it should meet in service.
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Worth repeating
- Composites can conduct as little as 1/1,000th as much electricity as aluminum, so conductive material is added to cope with lightning strikes.
- Japanese companies co-designed and built 35 percent of the 787.
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Sources
Cite this page: "How airliners are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/airplane