Boeing unveils 787-9 Dreamliner
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The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has rolled out of the paint hangar adorned with the US planemaker’s blue and white livery.
Due to enter service next year, the B787-9 will be the mid-sized version of the fuel-efficient aircraft, carrying 250–290 passengers in a three-class configuration. It will join the smaller B787-8 Dreamliner, which entered service in 2011, while the larger B787-10 is expected to follow in 2018.
According to Boeing, the B787-9 “will complement and extend the 787 family, offering airlines the ability to grow routes opened with the 787-8”.
With the fuselage stretched by six metres, the B787-9 will carry 40 more passengers an additional 555km, using 20% less fuel use than similar-sized aircraft. Like the B787-8, it will feature bigger windows than standard aircraft, large overhead storage bins, LED lighting and higher cabin humidity.
Boeing has taken 361 orders for the B787-9, out of a total of 930 Dreamliner purchases. Air New Zealand will be the aircraft’s launch customer, taking delivery of the first of 10 B787-9s in mid-2014. With the exception of leasing companies, Etihad Airways has placed the largest order for the B787-9, with 41 aircraft, followed by ANA (30), American Airlines (30), Air France-KLM (25), United Airlines (24) and Japan Airlines (20).
The aircraft will now undergo a series of flight tests before commercial deliveries commence.
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