American Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-8, joining United Airlines as the second operator of the Dreamliner in the USA.
American Airlines
The carrier took title of the aircraft, registration N800AN and MSN 40618, at the airframer’s Everett, Washington, facility on 22 January and will fly the aircraft to its Dallas/Fort Worth International airport base today.
American will introduce the 787 on domestic routes, likely between its hubs, in the second quarter before being shifted to international routes.
“You need to spend some time with a new aircraft type flying it around until you have a critical mass where you can actually do an international route," said Doug Parker, chairman and chief executive of the airline, in an interview with Flightglobal in July 2014. "You need more than one airplane to fly international routes."
American’s technical operations team will begin the acceptance process, including employee training and putting finishing touches on the interior ahead of entry into service, once the 787 arrives in Dallas/Fort Worth.
The carrier had planned to take the aircraft in November but delays certifying the seats pushed delivery back to this year. The delivery of American’s second 787-8, registration N801AC and MSN 40619, which was also scheduled for late 2014, will likely occur in the coming weeks.
American took a unique approach to the assembly process for its first Dreamliner. It kept its employees and passengers abreast of the aircraft's progress by posting pictures of it at various positions along Boeing's assembly line on social media.
The airline has firm orders for another 15 787-8s and 26 787-9s, the Ascend Fleets database shows. It is scheduled to take delivery of another 13 -8s, including N801AC, this year.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
