Hainan Airlines receives first 787 Dreamliner

The Boeing Company and Hainan Airlines celebrated the delivery of the airline's first 787 Dreamliner on Thursday. The delivery is the first of 10 787s for Hainan Airlines.

"The 787 will allow Hainan Airlines to open new routes from Beijing to North America,” said Mu Weigang, vice chairman of Hainan Airlines.

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.

“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,” said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Northeast Asia Sales for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

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.

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.

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