Boeing 787-9 visits Auckland, home of launch customer Air New Zealand

US airframer Boeing flew the latest variant of the Dreamliner, the 787-9, to Auckland, home of launch customer Air New Zealand, marking the 787-9’s international debut and its longest flight since flight testing on this new variant began.

Aircraft number ZB002 registered N787FT, the second of three 787-9s dedicated to the flight-test program, flew 13 hours and 49 minutes non-stop, direct from Seattle’s Boeing Field to Auckland International Airport, departing January 3 at 09:55 local time. After the visit, ZB002 proceeded on to Alice Springs, Australia, for testing in hot weather.

The 787-9 is a larger aircraft compared to the existing 787-8 Dreamliners currently operating. Its fuselage is stretched by 20 feet (6 meters) to seat an additional 40 passengers and can fly an additional 300 nautical miles (555 km).

Boeing is confident of delivering the first 787-9 to launch customer Air New Zealand in mid-2014. Twenty-six customers from around the world have ordered 402 787-9s, accounting for 39 percent of all 787 orders.

About Devesh Agarwal

A electronics and automotive product management, marketing and branding expert, he was awarded a silver medal at the Lockheed Martin innovation competition 2010. He is ranked 6th on Mashable's list of aviation pros on Twitter and in addition to Bangalore Aviation, he has contributed to leading publications like Aviation Week, Conde Nast Traveller India, The Economic Times, and The Mint (a Wall Street Journal content partner). He remains a frequent flier and shares the good, the bad, and the ugly about the Indian aviation industry without fear or favour.

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2 comments

  1. Makes perfect sense to start the Indian Routes with a one stop like AKL-PER-BOM, AKL-SYD-BOM, AKL-JKT-BOM to cover the unattended sectors.

  2. Boeing is selling the same test airframes to Air New Zealand. Could be for a lesser price.

+OK