The first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner has been delivered to Singapore Airlines. The latest and largest of the Dreamliner family was handed over to its new owner in a ceremony at Boeing's North Charleston, South Carolina assembly facility attended by 3,000 people and will enter scheduled service in May after flying selected routes to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur for crew training. It will then operate on routes between Singapore, Osaka, and Perth.
First announced at the 2013 Paris Air Show, the Boeing 787-10 is claimed to be the most efficient airliner in its class with the lowest operating costs per seat of any wide-bodied aircraft currently in service. It has 95 percent commonality with the 787-9 and is 25 percent more fuel efficient than the previous generation of aircraft. A stretched version of the 787-9, the 787-10 is 18 ft (5.5 m) longer, carries 330 passengers in a two-class cabin (40 more than the 787-9), and has 15 percent more cargo space.
In terms of performance, the 787-10 has a range of 6,430 nautical miles (7,400 mi/11,910 km), which is 1,205 nautical miles (1,387 mi/2,232 km) less than the 787-9, but this is offset by the greater capacity. However, the giant Dreamliner's range still allows it to service destinations in Europe, Africa, and Oceania.
"This is a big day for all of us at Boeing and for our global supplier partners," says Kevin McAllister, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and chief executive officer. "We are thrilled to deliver the first 787-10 Dreamliner to Singapore Airlines, one of the world's leading carriers. And we are honored by Singapore's partnership and trust, as reflected by their repeated orders for the Dreamliner. The 787-10 will extend the Dreamliner effect that we are seeing across commercial aviation as the 787's superior passenger experience and unmatched fuel efficiency helps airlines open new routes and achieve significant fuel savings and emission reduction."
Source: Boeing
