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British Airways Takes Delivery of First 787-10

The first British Airways Boeing 787-10 arriving at London Heathrow Airport (Photo: Graham Dinsdale)

British Airways accepted delivery of its’ first 787-10 over the weekend, the first of the “Dash 10” model for the carrier.

The new Dreamliner departed Boeing’s North Charleston, South Carolina production facility on Saturday for its seven-hour maiden voyage across the Atlantic. The aircraft arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport on Sunday morning, 7 hours and 12 minutes after takeoff according to FlightRadar24.

Alex Cruz, British Airways Chairman and CEO, said: “The delivery of our first 787-10 aircraft marks another significant milestone in our £6.5bn customer investment plan. The aircraft delivers a 25 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the aircraft it replaces, another step towards our commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. It will also offer greater comfort for our customers, as it features our latest generation seats in all cabins.”

British Airways currently operates a total of 30 787-8 and -9 models. It becomes the first European carrier to operate all three derivatives of the aircraft, joining United Airlines and All Nippon Airways.

The aircraft, registered G-ZBLA, marks the first of 12 787-10 aircraft that the U.K.’s largest airline has on order which, once fulfilled, will bring the operator’s Dreamliner fleet to a total of 42 aircraft.

The new 787-10 aircraft was originally targeted for delivery earlier in the year but was delayed due to production rate reductions implemented by Boeing due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 787-10, built exclusively in North Charleston, is Boeing’s answer to the Airbus A330neo and the A350. The aircraft offers a 6,345 nautical mile range with 336 passenger configuration and is powered by either the GEnx-1B or Trent 1000 engine.

British Airways’ interior configuration for its 787-10 will feature a four-class cabin with an eight-seat First cabin, a 48-seat Club World business class, a World Traveller Plus cabin with 35 seats and the World Traveller cabin with 165 seats.

British Airways’ is undergoing a fleet refresh of its long-haul fleet. The airline is replacing its 747 fleet and older 777 aircraft with the 787 family, 777-9, and A350-1000. British Airways will be one of the last operators of the passenger variant 747-400, of which it was the world’s largest operator.

Boeing data shows that they hold over 1,500 orders for the 787 on the books with 211 of them being the -10 variant. Boeing has delivered 972 of the 787 family of aircraft to 69 airline customers worldwide as of May of this year. The 787-10 is the only Dreamliner variant to be built exclusively in South Carolina, with the production of the -8 and -9 split between Everett Washington, and Charleston.

Boeing, recovering from a dismal May where it failed to deliver or sell any 787 aircraft, is optimistic its delivery pace will pick up given the increase in domestic and international flights by airlines worldwide. Additionally, Boeing recently admitted it is finalizing an agreement to sell 787 and 777X aircraft to an undisclosed customer according to a report by Airway.com.

Rick Shideler

Author

  • Rick Shideler

    Rick is a retired airline maintenance professional with over 40 years experience in commercial, corporate and military aviation sectors. Rick holds an FAA Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) and a FCC General RadioTelephone Licenses. Rick is a veteran of the United States Air Force and has served in multiple leadership positions including Director of Maintenance for a large corporate aviation firm, airline Director of Engineering and has chaired multiple aviation maintenance safety and reliability industry committees. Rick took his first airplane ride at six months old and became an airline geek shortly thereafter.

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