United Airlines has become the first US airline to fly passengers on the composite plastic fuselage aircraft Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The flight, United Flight 1116, took off from Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport and landed at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on 4 November.
The carrier, which has received two 787s from its order for 50 aircraft, is set to use the Dreamliner from the Los Angeles International Airport for daily trips to Narita, Japan, beginning 3 January 2013, and add non-stop flights to Shanghai starting on 30 March 2013.
Expected to replace the Boeing 777 on these routes, the Dreamliner configuration for United Airlines features 219 seats, with 36 in business class and the rest in economy.
In order to complete the certification process required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the carrier put the Dreamliner into non-commercial service in September.
Although United Airlines is the first US carrier to fly the 787 Dreamliner, Japan’s All Nippon Airways was the first airline to introduce it into commercial service in October 2011.
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By GlobalDataThe production of the twin-aisle aircraft has been dogged by delay problems; All Nippon Airways, which was the launch customer, took delivery of the first Dreamliner in late 2011, almost three years after the scheduled date.
Delays in production have occurred from Boeing having to fix quality problems, as the aircraft uses more lightweight composite materials instead of aluminium in the fuselage and wings.
Made primarily of carbon composites, the lighter weight 787 features improved aerodynamics and advanced engine technology, and according to Boeing, it uses 20% less fuel and is less expensive to maintain than the rival aircraft in the segment.
Boeing is currently working with the FAA to get certification for communication equipment for broadband facility on a composite aircraft.
The aeroplane manufacturer plans to ramp up its production to five Dreamliners a month as a part of its efforts to manufacture ten 787s a month by the end of 2013; and as part of this plan, it opened a facility in South Carolina in 2011.
Image: The Dreamliner configuration for United Airlines features 219 seats, of which 36 are in business class and the rest in economy. Photo: courtesy of Boeing.
