787

After years of waiting, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is finally flying passengers.

With an All Nippon Airways charter flight yesterday from Tokyo to Hong Kong the Dreamliner commercial era began, and not a moment too soon.

As anyone who follows aviation knows, the new airplane is one of the most anticipated in history, largely because it is made from composite materials and promises airline customers better fuel efficiency than almost any other plane in the sky. But while excitement for the aircraft is high, there is also a lot of eyes on it because of the fact that it has … Read more

TOKYO--Boeing's long-delayed 787 Dreamliner jet finally began commercial service here today, taking off from Tokyo's Narita airport at 12:42 p.m. on a charter flight to Hong Kong with some 230 passengers.

Operator All Nippon Airways (ANA) will have seven Dreamliners in its fleet by the end of December, ANA President Shinichiro Ito told those attending a press conference marking the event, which included a ceremonial breaking of a barrel of sake.

After receipt in September, ANA is the first airline to operate the plane, billed as the first to be made mostly of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. ANA will start regular 787 services November 1, linking Tokyo with regional Japanese cities Okayama and Hiroshima, and long-haul Europe services with a flight to Frankfurt on January 21.

Boeing has called the much-ballyhooed Dreamliner "the first all-new airplane of the 21st century." It's supposed to use up to 20 percent less fuel than earlier generations of Boeing jets because about half of its main structure is made of composite materials. … Read more

After years of delays, and several months of preparations, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is about to make its first commercial flight.

If all goes according to plan, All Nippon Airways--the first Dreamliner customer--will initiate 787 service next Wednesday on a regularly scheduled flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong, USA Today reported Friday.

The flight is planned to take place a month to the day after Boeing handed over the first Dreamliner to ANA at a rain-soaked but gala celebration at the aviation giant's mammoth Everett, Wash., assembly facility.

Though the handoff was probably the most important event in the … Read more

EVERETT, Wash.--At long last, Boeing has handed off what may be the most important commercial airplane in its history, the 787 Dreamliner.

Heralded for years as the biggest technological leap forward in aviation in decades, the Dreamliner has represented both Boeing's greatest promise--an all-new energy-efficient plane made from composite materials--and the biggest thorn in its side.

Despite being beset by myriad delays, the Dreamliner has engendered passionate excitement and interest, and this morning, Boeing finally reached a milestone it, and the world, has been awaiting for at least three years: the delivery of the first 787 to its … Read more

EVERETT, Washington--If you know anything about airplanes, you're no doubt aware of the long travails of one of the most anticipated airplanes of all time, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

First unveiled before thousands of employees, press, and fans on July 8, 2007 (07/08/07), the plane was supposed to begin carrying paying passengers by 2008. But after years of delays of all kinds, the Dreamliner has yet to achieve that milestone.

But on Monday, Boeing is expected to finally reach the top of the hill with the plane, and will host a large crowd eager to see the … Read more

And all the engineers breathed out.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration last week gave Boeing certification for its 787 Dreamliner, saying that the company's years-in-the-making aircraft is finally safe for passengers. The announcement came after the aircraft completed its final flight tests on August 17.

The green-lighting will allow Boeing to make its first delivery to Japan's All Nippon Airways on September 28, at Tokyo's Haneda airport.

The Dreamliner is in many ways the aircraft on which the aerospace giant has staked its future. Constructed with composite materials, the 787 is supposed to be more fuel … Read more

Boeing announced today that it has completed flight certification for its 787 Dreamliner aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce engines. The final flight concluded on Sunday when ZA102, the ninth 787 to be built, landed at Paine Field in Everett, Wash., following a 90-minute flight from Billings, Mont.

The company will now submit the necessary certification materials to the Federal Aviation Administration so the 787 can carry revenue passengers. The first aircraft is set for delivery to launch-customer All Nippon Airways next month (Jon Ostrower of FlightBlogger toured ANA's first 787 earlier this month).

The flight testing and pilot training started … Read more

Boeing said late Sunday that ANA, the airline that is the first customer of its 787 Dreamliner, has begun flying test routes in Japan.

In a statement, the aviation giant said that during the step, which it considers a vital one leading to first delivery of the Dreamliner, likely in August or September, ANA pilots flew actual routes in Japan using what it called "airline dispatch and flight rules."

The first 787 landed in Tokyo Sunday at 6:21 a.m. (local time) in front of a thousand ANA employees, press, and airplane fans. The plane is the … Read more

In two days the annual Paris Air Show opens at Le Bourget Airport just outside the French capital. Aviation geeks of all stripes know the event is the biggest and best air show in the world, with just about every airplane you can imagine. And as it has always done, Boeing will be making the flight from Seattle to Paris to show off its newest aircraft, like the 747-8 and the 787 Dreamliner. There, the company will face off with rival Airbus and a number of smaller manufacturers like Bombardier and Embraer.

As part of his Road Trip 2011 CNET'… Read more