Boeing plans 787-9 preview flight to New Zealand
Guest Writers are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the specific writer directly
Boeing will undertake a special preview flight of its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to New Zealand this month.
The aircraft is expected to enter commercial service later this year with Air New Zealand, and ahead of this launch Boeing will fly the new Dreamliner to Auckland in early January. The occasion will mark the aircraft’s first ever international flight.
The exact date of the service is dependent on “weather and other test factors”, Boeing said.
“Boeing is proud to bring the 787-9 to Auckland to show Air New Zealand what the team has achieved,” said Mark Jenks, Boeing’s vice president of 787 development. “With more than 150 flights since testing began in September, the test fleet continues to perform very well, and we look forward to delivering the first 787-9 in mid-2014 as promised.”
The aircraft flying to New Zealand will be the second of three B787-9s in Boeing’s ongoing test programme. After the test is complete, the aircraft will be reconfigured for delivery to Air New Zealand.
As well as the stop in Auckland, the B787-9 is also due to fly to Alice Springs, where it will undergo a week of hot weather tests.
Air New Zealand is one of 26 companies to have ordered the B787-9 Dreamliner, which will hold approximately 40 more passengers than the existing B787-8 version. It will initially operate the aircraft on routes to Perth, Shanghai and Tokyo.
Comments are closed.