Tag Archives: boeing 787 dreamliner

Boeing delivers the first 787-9 Dreamliner to Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) yesterday (December 31) took delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The pictured stretched 787-9 A6-BLA (msn 39646) was handed over to the fast-growing United Arab Emirates carrier. Boeing issued this statement:

Boeing delivered Etihad Airways’ first 787-9 Dreamliner sporting the airline’s new “Facets of Abu Dhabi” livery which was revealed at a ceremony earlier this year. The colors are reminiscent of the desert landscape, inspired by the culture, Islamic design and architecture motifs of the United Arab Emirates.

The airplane is the first of the 71 Dreamliners that the national airline of the United Arab Emirates has on order which includes 41 787-9s and 30 787-10s. Etihad Airways will also be the first airline in the Middle East to operate the 787-9.

The 787-9 can carry 280 passengers 8,300 nautical miles (15,372 kilometers). The 787-10, launched in June 2013 and in development now, will fly 323 passengers up to 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 kilometers), or more than 90 percent of the world’s twin-aisle routes.

As of November 30, 2014, 58 customers have ordered 1,055 787s.

Copyright Photo: Brandon Farris/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured 787-9 N1009N (msn 39646) became A6-BLA on the hand over.

Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Asia-1/Airlines-Asia1-AE/Etihad-Airways

Air Canada is coming to Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Air Canada (Montreal) is coming to Dubai with a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner route from the Toronto (Pearson) hub. The airline issued this statement:

Air Canada today said that it will launch nonstop service between Toronto and Dubai beginning in November 2015. The new route will extend the airline’s international network farther into the Middle East at a time of increased travel between North America and the region.

“The introduction of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Air Canada’s fleet this year has been a catalyst for our international expansion plans, which will receive an additional impetus in 2015 when the larger Dreamliner 787-9 series aircraft begins to enter the fleet. The Dreamliner has brought international air travel to a new level of comfort and Air Canada has further enhanced the experience with its award-winning, three-cabin service.”

Air Canada currently serves the region primarily through an extensive joint venture with its JV and Star Alliance partner Lufthansa over Frankfurt and Munich. In addition, the new route will build on Air Canada’s existing codeshare relationship with Etihad Airways, with whom it codeshares on three flights a week between Toronto and Abu Dhabi, in the UAE.

Since last December, Air Canada has announced new international service to Delhi, Amsterdam, Rio de Janeiro, Osaka, Tokyo-Haneda and Panama City. Including Dubai, Air Canada now serves or has announced service to a total of 66 international destinations on five continents from its Toronto global hub.

The three-times-weekly service starts on November 3, 2015. Flights will be operated with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in a three cabin configuration, including next generation lie-flat seats in International Business Class, a Premium Economy cabin, and upgraded In-Flight Entertainment available at every seat throughout the aircraft.

Schedule:

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner C-GHPQ (msn 35257) arrives at the Toronto (Pearson) hub.

Air Canada aircraft slide show:

Air Canada to launch Toronto-Delhi flights on November 1, 2015, the first route for the Boeing 787-9

Air Canada (Montreal) today said that it will begin nonstop service from Toronto to Delhi beginning on November 1, 2015. The new route, the first to be dedicated for Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9 series aircraft, will open new opportunities in the Indian subcontinent, currently the largest international market not served by Air Canada.

“Air Canada’s strategy to grow its Toronto Pearson hub and international presence is taking a major step forward with the addition of Delhi to our extensive global network. We will be offering the only nonstop flight from Canada to India using our newest Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which are revolutionizing long-haul air travel. The operating economics of these new aircraft make this service feasible and it will be the first route dedicated to the larger, 787-9 version of this aircraft, which begin entering our fleet in 2015,” said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.

The new service will operate four-times-weekly beginning on November 1, 2015.

Schedule: All flights operated with the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner except where noted by (*) which are Boeing 787-8 service:

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner C-GHPT (msn 35258) departs from Toronto (Pearson).

Air Canada aircraft slide show:

Vietnam Airlines to bring the Boeing 787 to London Gatwick in July

Vietnam Airlines (Hanoi) is planning to launch the new Boeing 787 from both Ho Chi Minh City (twice-weekly starting on July 1, 2015) and Hanoi (three days a week starting on July 3, 2015) to London Gatwick per Airline Route.

The airline has eight Boeing 787-9s on order from Boeing with the first due for delivery next year but is expected to lease additional 787s.

The company also has 10 Airbus A350-900s on order.

Image: Boeing.

Vietnam Airlines aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Asia-3/Airlines-Asia3-QZ/Vietnam-Airlines

British Airways to bring the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Montreal starting on March 29, 2015

British Airways (London) today announced that from March 29, 2015, Montreal will be served by the airline’s new Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet, marking the first scheduled Dreamliner service between Montreal and London.

British Airways operates a daily service between the two cities and provides connections to more than 130 cities beyond London. The first Dreamliner received by British Airways made its inaugural flight to Toronto one year ago and last month Calgary became the second Canadian city to receive the most modern aircraft in the airline’s new fleet.

Updated Cabins

The new aircraft accommodates 214 passengers: 35 in Club World (business class), 25 in World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and 154 in World Traveller (economy). The three newly designed cabins feature high quality materials, comfortable seats and increased bag storage. Customers in British Airways Club World cabin can take advantage of wide, full-flat beds and Club Kitchen, a snack bar open throughout the flight.

The 787 also has the largest windows of any commercial airliner, offering customers views of the horizon from every seat. Instead of pull down blinds, each one has its own dimmer switch.

Enhanced Entertainment

British Airways’ 787 features the airline’s new Thales entertainment system. Each seat has a television screen and customers can choose from more than 700 hours of content, including 230 TV programs, 70 movies and 400 music albums and interactive games. Travelers can also chat and play games with friends elsewhere on the aircraft using an in-seat chat system.

British Airways:

British Airways Aircraft Slide Show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-1/Airlines-Europe-1/British-Airways

Ethiopian Airlines is bringing the Boeing 787 to Dublin and Los Angeles starting in June

Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa) has announced it has finalized preparations to start flights to Dublin and Los Angeles starting in June 2015.

Ethiopian flights from Addis Ababa to Dublin and continuing on to Los Angeles will be operated three times a week with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The flights will be the only direct service connecting Africa with Ireland and the West Coast of the United States.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner ET-AOS (msn 34747) is pictured at Toronto (Pearson).

Ethiopian Airlines:

Airberlin cancels its Boeing order for 18 737s and 15 787s

Airberlin (airberlin.com) (Berlin) has cancelled its Boeing order for 18 737s and 15 787 Dreamliners. The airline issued this statement:

Airberlin has reached an agreement with Boeing that it’s orders for 18 Boeing 737 and 15 Boeing 787 aircraft at a price of currently $5 billion to be rescinded. The termination agreement for these 33 aircraft does not include any compensation to Boeing from Airberlin Group, and represents a further important step in the gradual harmonization of the airline’s narrow-body fleet.

Ulf Hüttmeyer, Chief Financial Officer at Airberlin, said: “Not taking on the 33 aircraft ordered will significantly reduce future capital expenditure for Airberlin and improve our balance sheet”.

“Our collaboration with Boeing has always been excellent, and this will remain so. 45 Boeing 737 NG aircraft will remain in service on European short and medium-haul routes. In order to operate more flexibly in the future and further reduce costs, standardization of our fleet is a key element of our restructuring”, Ulf Hüttmeyer continues.

The transition to a uniform narrow-body fleet should be completed by the end of 2016.

Airberlin Group will continue to dynamically adapt the existing fleet to its needs by purchasing or leasing suitable aircraft, although this will be on a smaller scale than originally planned. Already, Airberlin is well positioned, with one of the youngest fleets in Europe.

Copyright Photo: James Helbock/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-86J D-ABMS (msn 37782) approaches the runway at Paine Field in Everett.

Airberlin:

Air Canada to add the Boeing 787 from Vancouver for its Asian routes

Air Canada (Montreal) is gradually introducing the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Vancouver, replacing its older Boeing 767-300 ERs on some of its long-range routes. The carrier will introduce the 787 on the Vancouver-Shanghai (Pudong) route on October 26, Vancouver-Tokyo (Narita) on December 15, Vancouver-Beijing on February 1, 2015 and Vancouver-Seoul (Incheon) on March 1, 2015 per Airline Route.

In addition, Air Canada plans to operate Boeing 787 on the Vancouver-Toronto (Pearson) route at least once a day during the winter season effective October 26.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner C-GHPQ (msn 35257) departs from Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

Air Canada:

Boeing responds to the Al Jazeera English documentary on the 787

Boeing (Chicago and Seattle) has issued this statement on the Al Jazeera documentary on the 787:

We have not been afforded the opportunity to view the full program, but the promotional trailer and published media reviews suggest that what has been produced is as biased a production as we have seen in some time. It is unfortunate that the producers of this television program appear to have fallen into the trap of distorting facts, relying on claims rejected by courts of law, breathlessly rehashing as “news” stories that have been covered exhaustively in the past and relying on anonymous sources who appear intent only on harming The Boeing Company.

When first contacted by the producers, we accommodated them in order for them to produce a fair and objective report including facilitating factory access, interviews and providing full and open responses to their questions. The 787 is an outstanding airplane delivering value to our customers, but we have also talked candidly in public about its challenging development process. There are no tougher critics about our early performance than Boeing. Unfortunately, the reporting team appears to have chosen to take advantage of our trust and openness and abused their position from the outset by deliberately misrepresenting the purpose, objective and scope of their planned coverage.

This specious production appears to have ignored the factual information provided by Boeing and instead based the majority of its reporting on unnamed sources pursuing their own agendas and a disgruntled former employee engaged in a legal dispute with Boeing. In one instance, the producers resorted to ambush tactics normally seen only in tabloid-style TV news. The anonymous sources the TV program depends on are clearly working with those who seek to harm Boeing and its workers. They appear to have no real interest in truth, safety or better informing the public.

Even on-the-record sources seem to have changed their stories for the producers. For example, former Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) President Cynthia Cole said this about the 787’s first flight in 2009: “Today’s flight is a testament to the skill, hard work and diligence Boeing employees put in to get this airplane ready to fly,” SPEEA President Cynthia Cole said in a news release. “Boeing returned to engineering, and that’s what made today possible and successful.” Now, she states in the documentary trailer that Boeing “shortchanged the engineering process.”

Instead of an objective view of the 787’s development, viewers and our employees will see a television program that is neither balanced nor accurate in its portrayal of the airplane, our employees, or our suppliers. This program and those involved with it do a disservice to the hard-working men and women of Boeing and our supplier partners who designed and build the 787.

Furthermore, the program presents a false impression of Boeing South Carolina and the quality of work performed there. Airplanes, whether delivered from South Carolina or Washington, meet the highest safety and quality standards that are verified through robust test, verification and inspection processes. Our data of the current 787 fleet in service show parity in the quality and performance of airplanes manufactured in both locations.

Video: The Al Jazeera documentary on the Boeing 787:

Boeing to build the new 787-10 in North Charleston, SC

Boeing (Chicago and Seattle) has announced that final assembly of the 787-10, the newest and longest member of the 787 Dreamliner family of airplanes, will take place exclusively in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Boeing will continue to assemble both 787-8s and 787-9s in Everett, Washington, and North Charleston. Design of the 787-10 is underway in Everett, with final assembly of the first 787-10 scheduled to begin in South Carolina in 2017.

“We looked at all our options and found the most efficient and effective solution is to build the 787-10 at Boeing South Carolina,” said Larry Loftis, vice president and general manager, 787 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “This will allow us to balance 787 production across the North Charleston and Everett sites as we increase production rates. We’re happy with our growth and success in South Carolina, and the continued success at both sites gives us confidence in our plan going forward.”

The 787-10 will be 18 feet (5.5 meters) longer than the 787-9. With 10 feet (3 meters) of that increase in the midbody section, the 787-10 midbody is too long to be transported efficiently from North Charleston, where systems integration work is performed, to the Everett facility for final assembly. In addition, introducing the 787-10 in North Charleston takes advantage of that facility’s capacity while allowing the Everett facility to continue improving productivity as it focuses on the 787-8 and 787-9.

The 787 production system includes three production lines: two in Everett (including a temporary surge line) and one in South Carolina. The integrated production system currently operates at a production rate of 10 airplanes per month. As announced last year, the 787 production rate will increase to 12 airplanes per month in 2016 and 14 per month by the end of the decade.

The Everett facility will continue to assemble seven airplanes per month, while Boeing South Carolina final assembly will gradually increase from three 787s per month today to five per month in 2016 and seven per month by the end of the decade.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner family of airplanes offers airlines unmatched fuel efficiencies and environmental performance, while providing a new level of comfort for passengers through the thoughtful application of new technologies. To date, the 787 family has won more than 1,000 orders and more than 165 airplanes have been delivered to 21 customers worldwide.

The 787-10 will leverage 787 technology to provide more passenger and cargo capacity along with unparalleled seat-mile economics in the medium twin-aisle market. Since its launch in June 2013, the 787-10 has won 132 orders from six global customers.