On December 15, Boeing celebrated the 15th anniversary of the inaugural flight of the 787 Dreamliner, a widebody that introduced several technologies to the air travel market.
After the bold conception of the Sonic Cruiser, a passenger jet that would fly close to the speed of sound, Boeing presented the conventional 7E7, later renamed 787 in 2004.
Born to replace the successful 767, the Dreamliner, as it is also called, brought several innovations such as a structure made mostly of composite material, more efficient engines, a smoother cabin environment and even larger windows for passengers.
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The first flight took place in 2009, and the 787-8, the first and smallest variant, entered service with All Nippon Airways (ANA) in October 2011.
“Today is truly a proud and historic day for the global team who has worked tirelessly to design and build the 787 Dreamliner – the first all-new jet airplane of the 21st century,” said Scott Fancher, then vice president and general manager of the 787 program at the time. “We look forward to the upcoming flight test program and soon bringing groundbreaking levels of efficiency, technology and passenger comfort to airlines and the flying public.”
Despite its rapid development, which included six test aircraft, the Dreamliner did not have a smooth start. The aircraft suffered several problems, including fires in the lithium-ion batteries and fuel leaks.
After overcoming initial problems, Boeing managed to bring the popular 787-9 and the larger-capacity 787-10 variants to market. However, new challenges have emerged in recent years involving poor quality on the assembly line.
By November, Boeing had delivered 1,152 aircraft out of a total of just over 1,930 net orders.
The 787-9 version is the most widely used at airports around the world, with 641 jets delivered, followed by the pioneering 787-8 with 397 aircraft – the 787-10 has only 114 aircraft delivered.
See highlights of the 787 Dreamliner
- Design: The 787 uses composite materials, which make it lighter, more fuel-efficient, and quieter than previous generation aircraft.
- Passenger cabin environment: Thanks to the composite fuselage, cabin pressurization is lower than on other aircraft, resulting in greater passenger comfort.
- Larger windows: another benefit of its lighter and stronger structure is the design of larger windows, which allow for a wider view of the outside.
- More efficient wings: the design of the 787’s wings makes them lighter and reduces turbulence, resulting in a smoother and more economical flight.
- Quieter cabin: the set of innovations also makes flying on the 787 quieter, an important point for passengers on long journeys.
- Lower operating costs: obviously, one of the most important aspects of the aircraft is its consumption of less fuel, around 20% less than the 767.
