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The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American mid-sized, wide-body, twin engine jet airliner currently in production by Boeing's Commercial Airplanes division and scheduled to enter service in May 2008. It will carry between 210 and 330 passengers depending on variant and seating configuration. Boeing has stated that it will be more fuel-efficient than earlier Boeing airliners. It will also be the first major airliner to use composite material for most of its construction.
Until January 28, 2005, the 787 was known by the developmental designator 7E7. Early released concept images depicted a radical design with highly curved surfaces. On April 26, 2005, a year to the day after the launch of the program, the final look of the external 787 design was frozen, with a less rakish nose and a more conventional tail. Boeing featured its first 787 in a roll out ceremony on July 8, 2007 at its assembly factory in Everett, Washington. The first test flights are not on a fixed schedule but are expected in September 2007.
In the late 1990s, Boeing began considering a replacement for the 767 when sales weakened due to the competing Airbus A330-200. As sales of the Boeing 747-400 were also slowing, the company proposed two new aircraft: The Sonic Cruiser and the 747X. The Sonic Cruiser would have achieved higher speeds (approximately Mach 0.98) while burning fuel at the same rate as the existing 767 or A330. The 747X, competing with the Airbus A380, would have lengthened the 747-400 and improved efficiency by using a composite supercritical wing.
Market interest for the 747X was tepid, but the Sonic Cruiser had brighter prospects. Several major airlines in the United States, including Continental, initially showed enthusiasm for the Sonic Cruiser concept, although they also expressed concerns about the operating cost. By decreasing travel time, they would be able to increase customer satisfaction and aircraft utilization.
The September 11, 2001 attacks upended the global airline market. Airlines could not justify large capital expenditures and increased petroleum prices made them more interested in efficiency than speed. The worst affected airlines, in the United States, were considered the most likely customers of the Sonic Cruiser. Boeing offered airlines the option of using the airframe for either higher speed or increased efficiency, but the high projected airframe costs caused demand to slacken further. Boeing canceled the 747X once Airbus launched production of the Airbus A380, and switched tracks by offering an alternative product, the 7E7.
On April 26, 2004, the Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) became the launch customer for the 787, then still known as the 7E7, by announcing a firm order for 50 aircraft to be delivered beginning in April 2008. ANA's order included thirty 787-3, 290–330 seat, one-class domestic aircraft, and twenty 787-8, long-haul, 210–250 seat, two-class aircraft for regional international routes such as Tokyo Narita–Beijing. The aircraft will allow ANA to open new routes to mid-sized cities not previously served, such as Denver and Montreal. As is common for launch customers, ANA is rumored to have received a discount of 40–50% from list price.
Early concept images of the 787 included rakish cockpit windows, a dropped nose and a distinctive "shark-fin" vertical stabilizer. The final styling of the aircraft was more conservative, the fin appearing visually similar to those of aircraft currently in service. The nose and cockpit windows were also changed to a more conventional form.
The 787-3 and 787-8 will be the initial variants with the 787-9 entering service in 2010, despite industry rumors that it would be delayed as orders for the 787-3 and 787-8 sold out early production.
Boeing initially priced the 787-8 variant at US$120 million, a low figure that surprised the industry, and it has since been increased twice. As of 2007, the list price was US$146–151.5 million for the 787-3, US$157–167 million for the 787-8 and US$189–200 million for the 787-9.
Customer-announced orders and commitments for the 787 reached 237 aircraft during the first year of sales, with firm orders numbering 677 by the 787's premiere on July 8, 2007 and well before entry into service (EIS). This makes the 787 the fastest-selling wide body airliner ever before Entry Into Service. Wikipedia |
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