The much-anticipated maiden commercial flight of Boeing’s Dreamliner has finally taken place – carrying passengers from Tokyo to Hong Kong.
The new plane is made from carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, so it is lighter and stronger than traditional aluminium aircraft. It also uses less fuel and cuts CO2 emissions.
Boeing claims that the Dreamliner 787 is about 20 per cent more fuel efficient than the same sized aircraft flying today.
Delivery of the new plane has been hampered by strikes, economics and, lastly, an onboard fire when testing the plane last November.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an all-new commercial jetliner that promises to bring new efficiencies to airlines and deliver superior comfort to passengers.
The plane features the industry’s largest windows, a lower cabin altitude and cleaner air. These features, Boeing claim, all combine to allow passengers to arrive at their destinations more refreshed.
The 787 Dreamliner is the fastest-selling twin-aisle airplane in aviation history, with more than 800 orders from 56 customers around the world.
Several UK airlines including Virgin Atlantic, BA and Thomson Airways have reportedly placed orders for the new aircraft, but that was before the three year delay in production that Boeing has experienced in delivering the Dreamliner.
In September the Air France-KLM Group announced that it would purchase 25 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, with options for 25 more.
“We’re proud to be a major part of the fleet renewal plan being undertaken by Air France-KLM,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
“The 787 Dreamliner will bring outstanding value to the two airlines and will be a great complement to their large fleets of Boeing widebody airplanes. We’re looking forward to finalizing our agreement.”
(Image: guerric)
