Commercial airplanes require an enormous amount of fasteners, but not as much as they once did. For example, the Boeing 747, introduced in 1969, has nearly 1.5 million fasteners. Contrast that with the Boeing 787, introduced in 2009, which has only a few hundred thousand fasteners.
What accounts for this significant reduction? The 787 is made of 50 percent composite materials, which can be assembled with fewer fasteners compared with metal-skinned aircraft.