The Boeing 747-8F is delayed. Will the 787 go to ANA before the 747-8F goes to Cargolux?
As of now, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is scheduled to be delivered to All Nippon Airways (ANA) on Monday September 26th. The first Boeing 747-8F was scheduled to be delivered to Cargolux on the 19th, but as of now has little hope of being delivered this week.
So that raises the question: which aircraft do you think will be delivered to their customer before the other? The 787 or the 747-8F?
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If you are viewing this on my Seattle PI or Reuters syndications, you might need to go directly to AirlineReporter.com to vote.
Image: 747-8 belongs to flypdx
ANA's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner to be delivered on September 27th.
Sorry folks, I have to be lazy and copy and paste directly from ANA’s press release:
’œThe airplane is ready. ANA is ready. And, Boeing is ready,’ said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. ’œThis airplane begins a new chapter in aviation history.’
ANA’s airplane will arrive in Tokyo on Sept. 28, following a Sept. 27 departure from Everett, Wash., and will be greeted by ANA employees, media and Japanese partners. Details of events in Everett and Tokyo will be provided in the weeks ahead. Many of the events will be webcast live, allowing people around the world to participate in the celebration.
Shinichiro Ito, president and CEO of ANA Group, said, ’œAs launch customer, we are delighted to be taking delivery of our first 787 Dreamliner. This aircraft will enable us to offer new standards of service and comfort to our passengers and will play an important role in our international expansion strategy as we seek to become Asia’s number one airline.’
ANA launched the 787 program with a record-setting order of 50 airplanes in April 2004. The airline has played a key role in guiding the design of the Dreamliner.
As All Nippon Airways (ANA) gets closer and closer to taking delivery of their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner, we are getting more information on how the airline plans to use their brand new aircraft.
Today, ANA announced that their first regularly scheduled flight using the 787 will start November 1, 2011 between Haneda and Okayama and also between Haneda and Hiroshima.
The first international route will be between Haneda and Beijing, scheduled to start in December of this year. Then, starting in January 2012, ANA will use the 787 on its first long-haul international route between Haneda and Frankfurt.
ANA's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Paine Field.
Previously ANA has already announced that they will operate a special charter flight using the 787 between Narita and Hong Kong on October 26. After the special charter flight, ANA will fly “excursion flights,” giving invited guests the opportunity to preview the 787 Dreamliner on October 28th and 29th (win tickets on a flight).
The delivery rumormill of when Boeing will hand over the first 787 to ANA has started. Most of the dates I am hearing are centered around September 24th, but of course we will not know for sure until we get a bit closer. You better believe I will be keeping you updated.
To get more details on ANA’s first 787 flights, please check out their website.
747-8F Flying Over 2011 Seafair Race. Photo by Boeing/Leo Dejillas. Click for larger.
Today, Boeing announced that the new 747-8 Freighter has received certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This means the new jumbo-jet is in the final stages before being delivered to Cargolux. Boeing is expecting the first 747-8F to be delivered to Cargolux in, “early September.”
“This is such a great day for everyone on the 747 team,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes stated in a Boeing press release. “Over the last several years, this team has overcome challenge after challenge. Through their hard work and dedication, they have ensured that the 747, the Queen of the Skies, will fly for decades to come.” Boeing is expecting the passenger version, the 747-8 Intercontinental, will be delivered to Lufthansa Airlines sometime during the fourth quarter. Check out this Boeing video on the 747-8F testing process.
So, the big question is, which airliner will be delivered first? The Boeing 787 Dreamliner or the 747-8F. Either way, it is looking like September will be one awesome month for airline geeks around the world (and for Cargolux and All Nippon Airways).
About the photo: During Seattle’s Seafair, Boeing flew one of their 747-8F over Lake Washington. Although there was no Tex Johnston-like roll, I hear it was still a great site to see. This photo was taken by Leo Dejillas (and found on Randy Tinseth’s blog). I am assuming the photo was taken from one of Boeing’s T-38 chase planes. I think it does a nice job representing how great Seattle is, for how many other cities get a low fly over of a brand new aircraft on a sunny Sunday? (thanks Liz for helping me get my facts on the Seafair flyover straight — she was there and I wasn’t)
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is one step closer to starting normal operations around the world — that is a good thing. Saturday, August 13th marked the final flight needed to certify the 787 Dreamliner with Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines using the ninth test aircraft, ZA102. Certification testing will continue for 787s with GE engines. The nine test aircraft have flown just over 1,700 flights and more than 4,800 flight hours to perform more than 25,000 tests.
Test pilots have taken the aircraft to its limits and beyond to make sure the 787 is able to handle any possible future situation. “I’m used to landing the airplane 100,000 pounds overweight,” said Captain Mike Carriker , chief pilot for the 787 via Boeing’s website. “I’m used to flying it with the overspeed warning going on for hours on end or flying the airplane with an engine turned off.”
It is expected that ANA will take delivery of their first 787 (ZA101) sometime next month and then start flying the aircraft in Japan starting in October (and you can win tickets on one of the flights). Even though ZA101 is being prepared for delivery, to date it still has not flown. Boeing is not saying exactly when it will first fly, but I have been told that they will give notice, allowing fans the opportunity to catch a glimpse.
The video on this story from Boeing highlights the flight test program and has some pretty sweet footage. If the video is too serious for your taste and you need a little action, check out this 3D animation of a Boeing 787 vs an Airbus A380 put to Top Gun music found on FlightBlogger’s site.
United Airlines first Boeing 787 inside the Boeing Factory in Everett, WA. Photo from United.
Yesterday, United Airlines also announced its first 787 (the 45th Dreamliner) started it final assembly phase of construction. United will be the first North American airline to receive a Dreamliner, currently schedule in early 2012. In a press release they announced that, “the first United 787 will be configured with 36 flat-bed seats in BusinessFirst, 63 extra-legroom seats in Economy Plus and 120 seats in Economy.”
Both United and Continental Airlines had 25 of the aircraft ordered, meaning the new United will receive 50 aircraft. The airline previously announced that they will operate their first flight from Houston to Auckland and aim publicize the 787’s precise schedule later this year.
’œWe are proud to be the first North American airline to receive the 787, which will be a game changer for the new United and the industry,’ said United Airlines President and CEO Jeff Smisek. ’œThe 787 will be a very comfortable, customer pleasing aircraft, and with its range, fuel efficiency and superb operating economics, the 787 will allow us to enter new long-haul markets and also replace older, less-efficient widebody aircraft.’
