Japan Airlines (JAL) has taken delivery of its first two Boeing 787-8s, becoming the first airline to receive a 787 powered by the General Electric GEnx-1B engine.
The delivery also marks the first time two 787s have been delivered simultaneously, Boeing said in a statement.
"Today is an important moment in our 60-year relationship with Japan Airlines as we celebrate the deliveries of not one, but two Dreamliners," says Jim Albaugh, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The 787 will provide the fuel-efficient airplane needed to serve Japan Airlines' growing international operations."
© Boeing
The delivery took place at Boeing's Everett production facility on 25 March. On 21 March, JAL said the aircraft would be flown to Tokyo by JAL pilots, arriving at 18:30 hours local time on 27 March.
On 22 April, the carrier will start non-stop services between Tokyo and Boston with the 787. Later this year, JAL will launch a non-stop Tokyo-San Diego service with the 787.
The carrier, which has 25 firm orders for the 787-8 and 20 for the 787-9, plans to deploy the aircraft on routes between Tokyo and Beijing, Moscow, New Delhi and Singapore.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
