After a ponderous three year delay caused by everything from supplier issues to design flaws,Boeing has finally delivered the first 787 Dreamliner to Japan's All Nippon Airways.A collective sigh of relief may well have sounded around the world's airline headquarters as some 500 Boeing employees,many of them carrying umbrellas on the rain-soaked runway of Washington state's Everett Field,walked the state-of-the-art aircraft to All Nippon executives in a dramatic transfer ceremony.Boeing hailed the event as the beginning of a new era in commercial aviation.
The Dreamliner is Boeing's first new civilian aircraft on the market in 16 years.It will make its first commercial flight on October 26 on a route from Tokyo to Hong Kong.
The sleek airliner is the first to be partially fabricated from carbon fiber composite material.The lightweight mesh of carbon fiber and epoxy makes the 787 20% more cost effective to fly,cutting back markedly on the amount of fuel needed.Modular construction reduces the assembly time from months to a matter of days.The plane's components are produced by a global network of contractors.
The Dreamliner,which features larger luggage bins and windows,as well as soft blue lighting,is the best-selling new jet in history.Despite the delays,Boeing has 821 orders for the plane on its books.This will ensure the jobs of thousands of workers for decades to come.
Boeing(BA)
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