First Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner rolls out of paint hangar

The Boeing Company continues to make progress on the first 787-9 Dreamliner. The airplane has just rolled out of the paint hangar.

“With the fuselage stretched by 20 feet (6 meters), the 787-9 will carry 40 more passengers an additional 300 nautical miles (555 kilometers), with 20 percent less fuel use and 20 percent fewer emissions than similarly sized airplanes,” Boeing said in a press release.

Boeing is on track to roll out and fly the 787-9, currently in final production, in late summer. First delivery to launch customer Air NewZealand is set for mid-2014.

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Fire reported aboard Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending an agency representative to London's Heathrow airport to assist in investigating a fire aboard an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The incident closed the airport for a period of time on Friday.

“The runways are now fully re-opened, following an earlier internal fire on-board an aircraft,” airport officials reported on Heathrow's website. “All arrivals and departures were earlier temporarily suspended while airport fire crews attended to the incident. Flights are now operating, but will be subject to delay. The Metropolitan Police Service have advised that there were no passengers on board and no reported injuries.”

The worldwide fleet of 787s was grounded in January due to a series of issues with batteries used aboard the passenger jet. United Airlines put their 787s back into service on May 20 on routes from Houston to other domestic hubs. United then added international 787 flying on the Denver-Tokyo route June 10.

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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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