First B787-9 Dreamliner takes to the skies

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has taken to the skies for the first time, beginning a comprehensive flight-test programme leading to certification and delivery in mid-2014.

With its distinctive new Boeing livery, the newest member of the efficient 787 family completed a 5-hour, 16-minute flight, taking off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., at 11:02 a.m. local time and landing at 4:18 p.m. at Seattle's Boeing Field.

"Today's first flight marks a significant milestone for our team, including our partners," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and chief executive officer Ray Conner. "We are tremendously proud to have our customers fly the 787-9 and look forward to delivery of the first airplane to Air New Zealand next year."

During today's flight, 787-9 senior project pilot Mike Bryan and 787 Chief Pilot Randy Neville departed to the north, reaching an altitude of 20,400 feet (6,218 meters) and an airspeed of 250 knots, or about 288 miles (463 kilometers) per hour, customary for a first flight. While Capts. Bryan and Neville tested the airplane's systems and structures, onboard equipment transmitted real-time data to a flight-test team on the ground in Seattle.

"We accomplished a lot in this flight, and it went really well," said Bryan. "The 787-9 is a great jet and we wanted to just keep on flying."

Powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, the first 787-9 will be joined in flight test by two additional airplanes, one of which will feature General Electric GEnx engines. Those airplanes are in the final stages of assembly in Boeing's Everett factory. Over the coming months, the fleet will be subjected to a variety of tests and conditions to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the airplane's design.

The 787-9 will complement and extend the 787 family, offering airlines the ability to grow routes first opened with the 787-8. With the fuselage stretched by 20 feet (6 meters) over the 787-8, the 787-9 will carry 40 more passengers an additional 300 nautical miles (555 kilometers), with the same exceptional environmental performance — 20 percent less fuel use and 20 percent fewer emissions than similarly sized airplanes. The 787-9 leverages the visionary design of the 787-8, offering the features passengers prefer such as large, dimmable windows, large stow bins, modern LED lighting, higher humidity, a lower cabin altitude, cleaner air and a smoother ride.

Analyst Saj Ahmad commented: “The first flight of the 787-9 retires risk for the programme going forward, as Boeing accelerates production of the 787 and expands the model line-up, this will have been watched eagerly by the 787-9s biggest customer, Etihad Airways.

“Etihad has essentially based its long term future alongside the fuel-saving stretched 787-9, and while other jets like the even bigger 787-10 and 777X family are also on its radar, the first flight of the 787-9 for over five hours demonstrates the robustness and changes that Boeing has employed to keep the airplane on track, versus the delays that were seen on the initial 787-8.”

Ahmad added: “Being able to carry up to 300 passengers over greater ranges while using less fuel and with more environmentally-friendly credentials, the 787-9 will allow the likes of Etihad and other customers inherent flexibility in how they deploy the airplane. We've seen how Ethiopian Airlines has directly attributed its profitability down to the 787, so it's inevitable that the 787-9 will do the same for its customers too. Qatar Airways has oft spoken about the 787-9 and 787-10, and with 30 options, it would be a surprise to see them buying the type before long to replace its gas-guzzling and ageing Airbus A330 family.”

Boeing is on track to deliver the 787-9 to launch customer Air New Zealand in mid-2014. Twenty-five customers from around the world have ordered 388 787-9s, accounting for 40 percent of all 787 orders.