Boeing Debuts 787-10 at South Carolina Factory
The first 787-10 Dreamliner has been completed with much fanfare at Boeing's South Carolina plant. In a full ceremony, the manufacturer showed off the first aircraft of the series, which will begin flight testing later this year.
As the third member of the Dreamliner family, the 787-10 is the largest composite aircraft manufactured by Boeing to date. According to a company fact sheet, the 787-10 variation will have a total capacity of 330 passengers — 36% more than the 787-8 and 14% over the 787-9. The wide-body aircraft has a total length of 224 feet, 18 feet longer than the 787-9 variation. In addition, the aircraft has a top cruising speed of about 650 miles per hour and a projected range of over 6,000 miles, which Boeing claims could cover over 90% of the current air routes operated by twin-engine aircraft.
Prior to the debut, Boeing released several pictures of the aircraft being constructed at the South Carolina plant, which will be the exclusive origin of the Dreamliner. A time-lapsed video shared on social media shows the work that went into building the aircraft, from start to finish.
With the plane showing all signs of operational functionality, the aircraft manufacturer will now prepare the first 787-10 for testing in the coming weeks. Boeing has not announced a timeline for the first flight of the new Dreamliner.
The 787-10 Dreamliner variant is expected to take its first delivery in 2018, with Singapore Airlines as the launch customer. Overall, the aircraft has earned 149 orders from nine customers, including ANA, British Airways, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, KLM and United Airlines. Statistics from Boeing claim over 140 million people have flown aboard a Dreamliner across 530 routes since the launch six years ago.
The 787-10 Dreamliner is not the only new aircraft Boeing's recently previewed. Earlier in February, Aviation Week posted pictures of the 737-MAX 9 nearing completion from the manufacturer's Renton, Washington facility.
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