Boeing employees work on the first 787-9 horizontal stabilizer. Photos by Matthew Thompson / Boeing.

The first horizontal stabilizer for the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has arrived to Paine Field — early. The new version of the Dreamliner will seat 40 additional passengers and be able to fly 8000-8500 nautical miles.

Boeing expects that the first 787-9 will go into final assembly by mid 2013, first flight will occur during the second half of 2013, it will be delivered to Air New Zealand in early 2014 and start flying passengers in mid 2014.