After more than three years of delays, Boeing's long-awaited 787 Dreamliner arrived on schedule on Wednesday, touching down in Hong Kong at the end of a maiden commercial flight that some believe will usher in an era of fuel-efficient civil aviation and unprecedented passenger comfort.
The All Nippon Airways (ANA) Flight NH7871 left Narita airport in Tokyo shortly after noon, arriving at its destination four hours and eight minutes later to be greeted by traditional dance and music, but also doubts about its viability. The charter flight will return to Japan on Thursday before the plane goes into proper commercial service on two domestic routes operated by ANA.
The 264 passengers included scores of journalists, Boeing and ANA executives, amateur aviation enthusiasts, and a Florida couple who paid tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of being aboard the first flight. Boeing officials say the aircraft, which is made of lightweight materials, is 20% more fuel-efficient than conventional airliners, 30% cheaper to maintain, and features design improvements for more comfortable medium- and long-haul flights.
Scott Fancher, the head of the 787 programme, said the launch of the Dreamliner was a "game changer" for commercial aviation. "It sets a new standard in the design of commercial aircraft," he told reporters. "It is truly graceful, with an interior to complement this. The travelling public will soon get to experience it. We have designed a plane that will change the direction of commercial aviation."
Fancher was speaking days after China Eastern Airlines cancelled an order for 24 Dreamliners, while Air New Zealand voiced concern over missed delivery deadlines and said it would seek compensation from Boeing. Design problems and production delays have left $16bn (£10bn) worth of hardware on Boeing assembly lines. The firm currently has orders for 821 Dreamliners, a 10th of them from Japan, which designed and built 35% of the aircraft's structure.
Fancher refused to comment on the China Eastern Airlines decision, insisting: "Today is a day to celebrate the Dreamliner's first passenger flight." He said Boeing was comfortable with its production target of 10 aircraft a month by 2013, but added: "It is always a challenge to increase production, and our teams are executing those plans. If we get the plane out there, people will see its performance and economic benefits and the orders will come."
ANA's chief executive, Shinichiro Ito, reiterated his commitment to the Dreamliner, while acknowledging that the wait for delivery had been "hard at times".
The Japanese carrier expects to take delivery of 20 aircraft by the end of March 2013 and to launch its first long-haul service, between Tokyo and Frankfurt, by the end of the year. The first US airline to the fly the 787 will be United Continental, which plans to fly the plane between Houston and Auckland, New Zealand, starting in the second half of next year.
Aviation experts say "hundreds" of 787s would already be in operation had it not been for a series of production glitches. The resulting delivery delays may have handed an advantage to Airbus, which is also eschewing big cuts in flight times to concentrate on lowering the cost of flying. Other analysts said the aircraft would thrive commercially, despite its troubled arrival on the market.
"The long delays to the 787 programme have not changed our positive view of the aircraft," said Paul Sheridan, head of risk advisory at Ascend, a global aviation consultancy. "Airlines are, if anything, even more keen to get their hands on the aircraft. The advanced technology used in the 787 means that, in spite of the delays, it is still ahead of its time. The size and range of the aircraft offers airlines the ability to open new long-haul routes linking a range of cities that would have been uneconomic with other aircraft types in the market."
by Justin McCurry taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/oct/26/boeing-787-dreamliner-maiden-flight
The All Nippon Airways (ANA) Flight NH7871 left Narita airport in Tokyo shortly after noon, arriving at its destination four hours and eight minutes later to be greeted by traditional dance and music, but also doubts about its viability. The charter flight will return to Japan on Thursday before the plane goes into proper commercial service on two domestic routes operated by ANA.
The 264 passengers included scores of journalists, Boeing and ANA executives, amateur aviation enthusiasts, and a Florida couple who paid tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of being aboard the first flight. Boeing officials say the aircraft, which is made of lightweight materials, is 20% more fuel-efficient than conventional airliners, 30% cheaper to maintain, and features design improvements for more comfortable medium- and long-haul flights.
Scott Fancher, the head of the 787 programme, said the launch of the Dreamliner was a "game changer" for commercial aviation. "It sets a new standard in the design of commercial aircraft," he told reporters. "It is truly graceful, with an interior to complement this. The travelling public will soon get to experience it. We have designed a plane that will change the direction of commercial aviation."
Fancher was speaking days after China Eastern Airlines cancelled an order for 24 Dreamliners, while Air New Zealand voiced concern over missed delivery deadlines and said it would seek compensation from Boeing. Design problems and production delays have left $16bn (£10bn) worth of hardware on Boeing assembly lines. The firm currently has orders for 821 Dreamliners, a 10th of them from Japan, which designed and built 35% of the aircraft's structure.
Fancher refused to comment on the China Eastern Airlines decision, insisting: "Today is a day to celebrate the Dreamliner's first passenger flight." He said Boeing was comfortable with its production target of 10 aircraft a month by 2013, but added: "It is always a challenge to increase production, and our teams are executing those plans. If we get the plane out there, people will see its performance and economic benefits and the orders will come."
ANA's chief executive, Shinichiro Ito, reiterated his commitment to the Dreamliner, while acknowledging that the wait for delivery had been "hard at times".
The Japanese carrier expects to take delivery of 20 aircraft by the end of March 2013 and to launch its first long-haul service, between Tokyo and Frankfurt, by the end of the year. The first US airline to the fly the 787 will be United Continental, which plans to fly the plane between Houston and Auckland, New Zealand, starting in the second half of next year.
Aviation experts say "hundreds" of 787s would already be in operation had it not been for a series of production glitches. The resulting delivery delays may have handed an advantage to Airbus, which is also eschewing big cuts in flight times to concentrate on lowering the cost of flying. Other analysts said the aircraft would thrive commercially, despite its troubled arrival on the market.
"The long delays to the 787 programme have not changed our positive view of the aircraft," said Paul Sheridan, head of risk advisory at Ascend, a global aviation consultancy. "Airlines are, if anything, even more keen to get their hands on the aircraft. The advanced technology used in the 787 means that, in spite of the delays, it is still ahead of its time. The size and range of the aircraft offers airlines the ability to open new long-haul routes linking a range of cities that would have been uneconomic with other aircraft types in the market."
by Justin McCurry taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/oct/26/boeing-787-dreamliner-maiden-flight
No comments:
Post a Comment