UK airlines’ chiefs inspect new Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Chiefs of the British carriers due to take delivery of Boeing’s new “green” 787 Dreamliner jet will be at Heathrow Airport to inspect one of the new aircraft.

Thomson Airways, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are adding the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to their fleets over the next few months.

Rolls-Royce, whose Trent 1000 engines power some of the Dreamliners, will also be represented at Monday’s event.

Seattle-based Boeing is showing off its new plane as part of a world tour to promote the Dreamliner which, after numerous production problems, finally entered passenger service last October.

Designed to carry up to 290 passengers and far more fuel-efficient than existing aircraft, the Dreamliner should have started fare-paying flights as early as May 2008. But it was not until autumn 2011 that Japanese airline ANA became the first to put the 787 into service.

Thomson will take the first of its Dreamliners next year, with British Airways, which has ordered 24 of the 787s, also having its first delivery in 2013. Virgin has ordered 16 Dreamliners, with the first due to be delivered in 2014.

Boeing will also be showing off the Dreamliner at Manchester and Gatwick airports this week.

Chris Browne, managing director of Thomson Airways, said: “As the UK’s third largest airline, it is a major coup for Thomson Airways to be the first UK airline to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. We will be flying the aircraft in our summer 2013 programme from four UK airports – giving holidaymakers from across the country the chance to travel on this amazing new aircraft.

“Minimising the environmental impact of our operations is a key focus for us, and the Dreamliner will help us further reduce the impact on the communities in which we operate by using 20% less fuel than current-generation aircraft, and by reducing noise by up to 60%.

“It is also a key step in our journey to modernise the holiday experience we provide for our customers.”