Air India's first Boeing 787
Dreamliner touched down at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here
on Saturday, welcomed by the customary water-cannon salute on the
tarmac.
The plane, painted in the red and yellow livery of Air India, landed after a 15-hour flight from Boeing's Charleston factory in South Carolina, US, with a 90-minute refuelling stop at Frankfurt.
Captain A.S. Soman landed the aircraft - the first of 27 ordered by Air India - at 5.05 pm.
'It was a very smooth flight. It has a very quiet cabin and there is much less fatigue (for the pilot). It is both a pilot and passenger friendly airplane,' he said.
Air India would get two more
787s in the next few weeks. Eight more would arrive by March next year.
The aircraft would ultimately become the mainstay of Air India's global
operations and is key to its turnaround plan.
The national carrier has configured the aircraft for 256 seats - 18 business class and 238 economy. For the next two months, Air India would operate the 787s on select sectors such as Delhi-Dubai, Delhi-Kolkata, Delhi-Bangalore and Delhi-Amritsar for the crew to practise landings and takeoffs.
So
far, a total 65 pilots have been trained to fly the plane. By December,
Air India would introduce these aircraft on new long-haul sectors such
as Melbourne and Sydney, besides older ones such as Japan, Middle-east
and European destinations.
Air
India's first 787 was ready for delivery in May but was delayed over
finalisation of a compensation agreement between the carrier and the
air-framer for delay in production.
The national carrier's 787s will be powered by the General Electric GEnx-1B engines. Air India is the fifth airline to take delivery of a 787 and the third airline within a month, following Ethiopian Airlines and LAN.
The plane, painted in the red and yellow livery of Air India, landed after a 15-hour flight from Boeing's Charleston factory in South Carolina, US, with a 90-minute refuelling stop at Frankfurt.
Captain A.S. Soman landed the aircraft - the first of 27 ordered by Air India - at 5.05 pm.
'It was a very smooth flight. It has a very quiet cabin and there is much less fatigue (for the pilot). It is both a pilot and passenger friendly airplane,' he said.
Air-India's first Boeing 787 is welcomed after it touched down at Delhi airport
The national carrier has configured the aircraft for 256 seats - 18 business class and 238 economy. For the next two months, Air India would operate the 787s on select sectors such as Delhi-Dubai, Delhi-Kolkata, Delhi-Bangalore and Delhi-Amritsar for the crew to practise landings and takeoffs.
The national carrier's 787s will be powered by the General Electric GEnx-1B engines. Air India is the fifth airline to take delivery of a 787 and the third airline within a month, following Ethiopian Airlines and LAN.
Air India's Dreamliner prepares to land at the Delhi airport on Saturday
No comments:
Post a Comment