China's carriers set to pilot Dreamliner - ResearchInChina
Date:2007-07-10
liaoyan Text Size:
CHINESE airlines and aeronautic equipment makers are among the global business partners betting big on the new Boeing 787.
Five Chinese carriers have committed to buying 57 of the new fuel-efficient, long-haul planes. And three Chinese companies are producing parts and components.
Boeing Co raised the curtain on its first fully assembled 787 to an audience of thousands who packed into its widebody assembly plant in Everett, Washington, for the plane's extravagantly orchestrated premiere on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.
With flight attendants onstage from each airline that has ordered the jet, the giant factory doors opened wide as the plane slowly moved into view to the strains of a theme song composed specially for the 787, which Boeing calls the Dreamliner.
Boeing Chief Executive Jim McNerney said the 787 will bring about a "dramatic improvement in air travel: to make it more affordable, comfortable and convenient for passengers, more efficient and profitable for airlines, and more environmentally progressive for our Earth."
Boeing has won more than 600 orders from customers eager to hold the jet maker to its promise that the midsize, long-haul jet will burn less fuel, be cheaper to maintain and offer more passenger comforts than comparable planes flying today.
The 787-8, the first of three 787 models Boeing has committed to making, has an average list price of US$162 million, though customers typically negotiate discounts on bulk orders.
Air China and China Eastern Airlines have each ordered 15 of the new planes. China Southern Airlines has ordered 10, Shanghai Airlines nine and Hainan Airlines eight.
Air China Vice President He Li said at the unveiling ceremony that his company will use the new planes to fly to the United States and Europe during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Shanghai Airlines Chairman Zhou Chi said the 787 will fit his company's growth plans, as the carrier intends to introduce more international routes.
Li Fenghua, chairman and president of Shanghai-based China Eastern (stock code: 600115), said the new Boeing jets will help his company expand global coverage and further improve services.
Among the parts suppliers, Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co Ltd is making the plane's composite rudder, Hafei Aviation Industry Co Ltd produces wing-to-body panels, and Shenyang Aircraft Corp is building the leading-edge assembly for the plane's vertical fin.
The 787, Boeing's first all-new jet since airlines started flying the 777 in 1995, will be the world's first large commercial airplane made mostly of carbon-fiber composites, which are lighter, more durable and less prone to corrosion than aluminum.
The first test flight is expected to take place between late August and late September.
The plane is set to enter commercial service next May after Japan's All Nippon Airways receives the first of the 50 Dreamliners it has ordered.
Welcome to our website. This service is open to member only.
Contact our customer service team
Tel: 86-10-82600828, 82600893
Fax: 86-10-82601570
Email: report@researchinchina.com