Just after noon on Thursday, British Airways took delivery of their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Heathrow Airport in London. This is the first delivery of an order of 24 787s, though IAG (British Airways parent company) recently announced that it will convert 18 787 options to firm orders for British Airways, subject to shareholder agreement.
“The 787 is a tremendous, innovative aircraft which sets new standards for environmental performance and operating efficiency and I’m sure British Airways’ customers will love it,” said Willie Walsh, chief executive officer of International Airlines Group (IAG). “The 787 will become a mainstay of the British Airways fleet over the next few years.”
The 787s will be mainly replacing the aging 767s in the British Airways fleet. The airline has also announced their first 787 routes, with Toronto starting on September 1st, with Newark following suit on October 1st. The British Airways 787 is configured to hold 214 passengers, with 35 seats in Club World, 25 in World Traveller Plus and 154 seats in the World Traveller cabin.
@British_Airways First B787 arrives @HeathrowAirport #787 pic.twitter.com/XP9J3BfdAd
— Ady Dolan (@adydolan) June 27, 2013
