Etihad launches 787 into operation

The Boeing 787 is the most technologically advanced aircraft in its class.

Abu Dhabi — Etihad Airways has inducted its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner into its fleet. Etihad Airways is one of the world’s biggest 787 customers with over 70 airplanes on order, including a mix of 787-9s and 787-10s.

The carrier will place the aircraft on key medium and long-haul routes such as Washington DC, Mumbai, Moscow and Brisbane, with more destinations being added as the airline takes delivery of more 787s.

The wide-body Boeing 787-9 is a stretched version of the advanced medium- to long-range twin engine B787-8, with a range of up to 8,300 nautical miles and a cruising speed of Mach 0.85. It is 206 feet in length and has a wingspan of 197 feet, the airline said.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways president and CEO, described the new aircraft as “a tremendous milestone” for his carrier.

Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based Strategic Aero Research, a consultancy, said: “Its unique, long-range capability will allow Etihad Airways to open up even more longer routes to destinations to the US, Asia and beyond with the lowest fuel burn and lowest cost of any wide-body airplane in service today.”

Hogan said the Boeing 787 is the most technologically advanced aircraft in its class. It will provide a reduction in operating costs and carbon emissions, he said.

Hogan said “the dimensions and unique features of this aircraft have allowed us to customise it with the most innovative and sophisticated cabins, providing our guests with levels of comfort and attention to detail not previously enjoyed by the modern airline traveller.”

The aircraft “will be the backbone of Etihad’s intercontinental fleet for years to come and that’s why Etihad Airways is such a big customer for the 787s,” Ahmed said.

On the economics of the aircraft, he added that the biggest benefit of 787 is that it can offer a premium product across all three cabin classes that may not have otherwise been achievable on other airplanes. The B787 interiors feature eight First Suites, 28 Business Studios and 199 Economy Smart Seats, offering superior levels of comfort, entertainment and in-flight connectivity.

The lightweight composite materials used in the aircraft mean that the B787 uses up to 30 per cent less fuel than other aircraft in its category and as a result produces a comparable reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. The B787 also uses new technologies to ensure that the aircraft’s noise footprint is 60 per cent smaller than other aircraft of its size.

The first 787 flight departed Abu Dhabi at 2.15am as flight EY23 for the seven hour, 25-minute flight to Dusseldorf, Germany.