Boeing 787-9 ahead of schedule
Boeing reached a major landmark in the development of the longer B787-9 Dreamliner last week, three weeks ahead of schedule.
The horizontal stabiliser section that will be fitted to the first B787-9 arrived at Boeing’s final assembly line in Washington state last week. It will now be fitted to the first aircraft, which will be delivered to Air New Zealand – the launch customer for the longer Dreamliner – in 2014.
“Receiving the first major part is an exciting and visible sign of the progress we’re making on the 787-9,” said Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing’s commercial unit. “We look forward to the first flight of the 787-9 later this year and the first delivery in early in 2014 to Air New Zealand.”
“It’s hugely exciting to see the first ever 787-9 taking shape because of the significant growth opportunities these aircraft present for our business,” added Air New Zealand’s CEO, Christopher Luxon. “Having 10 new long-haul aircraft enter our fleet over the next four years means we will be able to add more capacity and greater frequency to existing destinations, as well as explore new destination opportunities throughout the Pacific Rim.
“Not only does this herald a significant growth phase for us, we’ll be able to do it with super efficient new aircraft. These aircraft use 20 percent less fuel than similar size alternatives which means they’re both cost effective to operate and environmentally sound,” he added.
The new B787-9 is the stretched version of the Dreamliner, and will seat approximately 280 passengers in a three-class configuration, compared to around 240 on the existing B787-8 model. Along with Air New Zealand, 21 customers have placed orders for more than 340 B787-9s, including Etihad Airways (41), ANA (30), American Airlines (30), Air France-KLM (25), Singapore Airlines (20) and JAL (20).
Air New Zealand expects to start operating commercial flights using the aircraft in mid-2014.