Sunday, August 31, 2014

Xiamen Airlines Takes Delivery of First Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Xiamen's first Boeing 787 conducting test flights at Paine Field - Photo: The Boeing Company

Xiamen’s first Boeing 787 conducting test flights at Paine Field – Photo: The Boeing Company

On Friday, another airline took delivery of their first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner; Xiamen Airlines.

This event was special for the airline, since the 787 is the first wide-body to join their fleet. The airline currently operates Boeing 737-700s, 737-800s and 757-200s.

“We are excited to receive our first 787 Dreamliner, which is also the first widebody airplane of our all-Boeing fleet,” said Che Shanglun, president and chairman of Xiamen Airlines. “With the innovative technology and exceptional efficiency, the 787 Dreamliner will be key to our further growth and international expansion.”

The 787 is part of the airline’s plan to grow their fleet to 150 airplanes. On top of the 787, they also have over 65 737-800s, 30 737 MAX 8s, and six Comac ARJ21s on order.

Xiamen's first class product on the 787 Dreamliner - Photo Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Airways News

Xiamen’s first class product on the 787 Dreamliner – Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Airways News

Their Dreamliner is configured with 236 seats in three classes: four in first, 18 in business, and the remaining 214 in economy. The interior, other than color, is very similar to China Southern’s, which makes sense since they are the parent company of Xiamen.

First class is set up with a 1-2-1 layout, giving aisle access to each passenger. They also sport a 15.4″ IFE screen and 76″ of pitch.

Business class in Xiamen's new Boeing 787 - Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Airways News

Business class in Xiamen’s new Boeing 787 – Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Airways News

The business class has a 2-2-2 configuration and the seats are fully reclinable. Each seat has a 14″ screen, allowing passengers access to the Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment system.

The very blue economy class in the Dreamliner - Photo: Jeremy-Dwyer Lindgren | Airways News

The very blue economy class in the Dreamliner – Photo: Jeremy-Dwyer Lindgren | Airways News

Economy class is in a 3-3-3 format and each seat has 33″ of pitch. Each seat also has a 9″ touchscreen IFE system and USB ports for charging.

Like many other airlines taking delivery of the Dreamliner for the first time, Xiamen will fly the aircraft first domestically before putting it on long-haul flights.

BONUS: Video of Xiamen’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner Taking Off from Paine Field by Tom Sheehan

The airline has another five Dreamliners on order and plans to use the aircraft to replace their 757s. They plan to put the 787 on routes from the Fujian Province to Europe, North America, and Australia.

The post Xiamen Airlines Takes Delivery of First Boeing 787 Dreamliner appeared first on AirlineReporter.com.

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