Aerial photo of Etihad Airways’ first 787-9 Dreamliner at Paine Field – Photo: Bernie Leighton | AirlineReporter
What a looker!
On Sunday night we were able to see the reveal of Etihad’s new livery in the darkness, but this photo not only lets us see it in light, but also from the air (doesn’t every plane/livery look better with an aerial view)?
Our Bernie Leighton had the opportunity to to get this shot, and his impression? He thought it was amazing, “The most distinguished looking 787.” Who am I to disagree? Now we just can’t wait to get a peek of that interior.
A Boeing 747-400 LCF (aka Dreamlifter) at Paine Field. Image: Bernie Leighton.
The Boeing 747-400 is already a large plane. When converted into a Dreamlifter, it only gets bigger. But this amazing aerial photo of N747BC, one of the four Dreamlifters built, makes it look a bit small.
Jetstar’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VH-VKA) sits at Paine Field earlier today. Photo by Bernie Leighton.
Last weekend, the first of 14 Boeing 787 Dreamliners for the Qantas Group rolled out of the paint hangar at Paine Field. This aircraft will be heading to Jetstar Airways, a Qantas-offshoot low cost carrier (LCC). The delivery will be significant, since as of now Jetstar operates an all-Airbus fleet.
Jetstar currently operates the A320-family on short-haul routes around Australia, the South Pacific, and Asia, while running larger A330-200s on long-haul routes from Australia to Asia & Hawaii. The A330s are a mix of new aircraft and ex-Qantas birds. As the airline receives new 787s, they plan to transition their newer A330s into the legacy Qantas fleet.
Despite this being the first for Jetstar, Boeing has delivered over 100 aircraft to the Qantas Group, ranging from the original 707 up to the 747-400ER (of which they are the only operator of the passenger variant).
