Chinese carrier Hainan Airlines has taken the delivery of its wide-body, twin-engine Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is the first of 10 787 airliners the carrier has ordered.
"Today is a great day for Hainan Airlines as the most technologically advanced and fuel efficient airplane in the world joins our fleet," says Mu Weigang, vice chairman of Hainan Airlines. "The 787 will allow Hainan Airlines to open new routes from Beijing to North America and provide our unique 'Eastern-style' five-star in-flight experience for global passengers."
Hainan Airlines will first operate the Dreamliner on a domestic route from Beijing to Haikou. Thereafter, the airline will deploy the 787 on its North America routes, increasing the frequency of its Beijing-Seattle, Beijing-Toronto and Beijing-Chicago services, with several new destinations.
"We are pleased to celebrate another historic moment in our long-term relationship with Hainan Airlines," says Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Northeast Asia Sales for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We appreciate the confidence Hainan Airlines has shown in Boeing and I'm sure the 787's game-changing efficiency and flexibility will support Hainan Airlines to increase its competitive position in the global aviation marketplace."
The Hainan Airlines 787 Dreamliner interior consists of 36 full, flat-bed business seats configured in rows of 2-2-2, as well as 177 economy seats configured in rows of 3-3-3. Each seat has a 15" touch screen panel and a power outlet. Each business seat also has a USB port.
As one of only seven airlines rated as five-star by Skytrax, Hainan Airlines is the fourth largest airline in terms of fleet size in the People's Republic of China. Its current fleet includes 106 Boeing airplanes. The airline serves scheduled domestic and international services on 500 routes from Beijing, Haikou and other operating base on the mainland, and provides charter services.
The carrier has become the second carrier in China to take delivery of the technologically advanced and fuel-efficient Dreamliner. In June, China Southern Airlines received the first of its 10 787s on order.
According to Boeing, the aircraft is capable of flying long-haul routes, uses 20% less fuel and is less expensive to maintain compared with the rival aircraft in the segment.