Boston, MA 10/13/2014 (wallstreetpr) – The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) has delivered its first 787-9 Dreamliner to Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited.
Virgin’s “Birthday Girl”
As highlighted in the MarketWatch article, Virgin Atlantic is the first European airline to accept the delivery of Boeing’s 787-9. It seeks to operate the airplane on the route between London Heathrow to Boston during its initial flights.
Virgin Atlantic’s first 787-9 airplane landed on the Gatwick Airport in London on Friday, Oct 10, 2014. The airplane reportedly flew nonstop from Everett, Washington’s Paine Field, covering as many as 7,400 km, or 4,000 nautical miles. Virgin Atlantic had contracted with Boeing for 16 such airplanes. This is the first airplane of the contract to be delivered. It has been nicknamed “Birthday Girl,” as it was delivered on the occasion of Virgin’s 30th Anniversary.
Superior Performance
The 787-9 is the most recent addition to the 787 series of airplanes. Its fuselage is stretched by as much as 20 feet as compared to the 787-8. It is capable of holding 40 extra passengers for an additional distance of 830 km. Moreover, it offers an exceptionally competent environmental performance with 20% lower fuel usage. In addition, it is designed such that it causes 20% lower emissions than the other planes it will be replacing.
The Dreamliner complements the visionary features of the 787-8 by incorporating attributes including bigger windows, lower cabin altitude, bigger stow bins and advanced LED lighting. In addition to these physical features, it also offers other benefits such as cleaner air, increased humidity and a smoother ride.
Virgin Atlantic operates a range of around 60 airplanes, including 12 Boeing’s 747-400s on its North American, Asian, African and Caribbean routes. The addition of the new Dreamliner only adds to its fleet of Boeing aircrafts. Apart from Virgin Atlantic, approximately 60 more customers worldwide have contracted The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) for over 1,000 Dreamliners. Almost 40% of the ordered Dreamliners are 787-9s.
