During yesterday, Air New Zealand it came into the possession of the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The ceremony took place at Everett's Boeing Base and was attended by approximately 1000 of Boeing employees (those who put their shoulders on the 787 project), Air New Zealand representatives and special guests.
The first 787-9 Dreamliner, from an order of 10 units, comes in a new livery, a chromatic composition all-black which we will find on several aircraft in the Air New Zealand fleet.
For starters, Air New Zealand will operate the first Boeing 787-9 on the Auckland-Perth route this year, most likely starting with 15 October 2014, and Tokyo and Shanghai starting November 2014. Prior to its official debut to Perth, the aircraft will operate several flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Boeing handed over the keys to the first 787-9 Dreamliner to Air New Zealand, so the aircraft could be taken home. On 10 July 2014, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Air New Zealand will operate NZ6789 flight, on the route Seattle - Auckland and will depart at 8am (local time in Seattle). It will arrive in New Zealand, on 11 July 2014, at 4pm.
Each Boeing 787-9 Air New Zealand will come in a three-class configuration: 18 seats at Business Class, 21 at Premium Economy and 263 seats at Economy. a Boeing 787-9 Air New Zealand will be admired at Farnborough International Airshow, an event that will take place in Hampshire, England, between 14-20 July 2014.
787-9 complements and extends the 787 family. With a longer fuselage with 6 meters above 787-8, 787-9 will be able to carry more passengers up to 40 and can fly up to 830 km longer. Although we are talking about a larger aircraft, Boeing did not discount performance, maintaining the reliability of a Dreamliner.
787-9 uses the visionary design of the 787-8, offering passengers features such as: large windows, LED lighting, higher humidity and cabin pressure set for lower altitude. To date, 26 customers worldwide have ordered 409 787-9 units, representing 40% of total 787 aircraft ordered.