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Perfect landing for Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Farnborough 2010 July 18, 2010

Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Airlines, Aviation, Travel.
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The Boeing 787 Dreamliner (flight test airplane code-named ZA 003) landed at the 2010 Farnborough International Airshow, the world’s largest airshow, at 9.09 GMT, following an 11 hour flight from Seattle.

This historic flight marks the first ever intercontinental flight by the Dreamliner, its first appearance in Europe and also its international debut.

Captained by 787 Assistant Chief Pilot Mike Bryan, the Dreamliner performed a fly past and a wind-waggle before landing at Farnborough in overcast conditions. Onlookers had words of commendation for its relative quietness and sleekness.

The Beauty Arrives


Image credit: by @roadshownews

Perfect Landing

Enjoy these videos of the Dreamliner landing.


The Meet of the Titans

Here is a snap of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner parked next to its rival Airbus A380.

A380 & 787 together for the first time. #FARN10

Image by: Flightblogger on Flickr

Primer on the 787 Dreamliner

Boeing has 863 orders from 56 companies worth about $150 billion for the 787, which has been plagued by problems since the program launched in 2004 and is currently more than two years behind schedule. Boeing plans to deliver the first 787 to Japan’s All Nippon Airways by the end of 2010. (The Airbus A380 has 234 firm orders from 17 customers.)

The Dreamliner has been touted by Boeing as the most fuel-efficient and eco-friendly aircraft to date. It is also packed with features that aim to give the passenger a more comfortable flight.

In a major shift away from traditional aluminum and titanium, nearly all of the aircraft’s fuselage and wings are made of composites. That allows the wide-body jet to use 20 percent less fuel than similar planes and make less noise, while providing passengers with more room, cleaner air and wider windows.

The 787, which has a list price of around $161 million for a basic model, is configured in two versions — a 787-8 carrying 210-250 passengers and a 787-9 carrying almost 300 people. They will carry passengers non-stop on routes between 6,500km and 16,000km at speeds up to Mach 0.85.

Dreamliner Orders in the Arabian Gulf Region

  1. Etihad Airways: 35
  2. Qatar Airways: 30 (Will most likely be the first airline in the region to fly a 787).
  3. Gulf Air: 24
  4. DAE, UAE: 15
  5. Oman Air, leased through ALAFCO: 6
  6. LCAL, UAE: 5

Global demand rises

Boeing, the world’s second-biggest aircraft maker behind Airbus, last week raised its forecast for the number of planes ordered by airline industry in the next 20 years, predicting 30,900 aircraft worth $3.6 trillion be purchased, compared to a forecast of 29,000 last year.

Boeing at Farnborough

Please visit http://www.boeing.com/farnborough2010/ for latest news updates, photos and videos from Boeing at Farnborough Airshow. Do follow @BoeingAirplanes & @BoeingCorporate for Twitter updates. (#FARN10).

The 2010 Farnborough International Airshow will take place between the 19 and 25 of July 2010.  For more information, please go to http://www.farnborough.com.

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