Seattle on Monday became the second US city to recieve Boeing 787 Dreamliner service as ANA launched the new aircraft on its Tokyo-Seattle route. The new airplane was greeted by uncharacteristically blue Pacific Northwest skies and a rainbow-infused water canon salute.
“This, in some regards, is a bit of a homecoming for this airplane,” Larry Loftis, vice president and general manager of the 787 program for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said during a “Dreamliner Day” ceremony. “The 787 is finally flying out of SeaTac Airport.”
Well, sort of. While the 787 has flown into SeaTac, the airplane still has yet to fly back out. The initial departure time of 1:00PM local for the return flight has long since come and gone. ANA spokeswoman Nao Gunji tells NYCA that the airplane has a broken pump in the cooling system. The airline anticipates a 24 hour delay.
Photos: ANA 787 Arrives in Seattle
While SeaTac and ANA celebrated the start of Dreamliner service, the route is not new. ANA began their Seattle-Tokyo service in July 2012 utilizing the Boeing 777-300 aircraft with the intent to upgrade to the 787 as deliveries increased.
Boston became the first US city to offer scheduled 787 service when Japan Airlines launched flights from Tokyo in April.
ANA took delivery of the first Boeing 787 a little over a year ago and now has 14 of the aircraft in service.
