Due To Join The Airline's Fleet In May Next Year

The first Dreamliner ordered by British Airways is on Boeing's assembly line. The airline is on track to be first in Europe to have both the Dreamliner and the Airbus A380 superjumbo aircraft types operating in its fleet.

"This is an exciting first step to welcoming the first of our Boeing 787s into the British Airways fleet," said Keith Williams, British Airways' chief executive. "The Dreamliner, with its lightweight composite construction, is truly radical. It marks a new era in British Airways as we take delivery of a new generation of stylish and fuel-efficient aircraft, bringing even better service to our customers."
 
The first part of the British Airways 787 to be built was the mid -forward fuselage, which was constructed in Japan. That country also supplies the center wing box, main landing gear wheel well, wings and fixed trailing edge. Suppliers in the UK provide the plane's landing gear, while Derbyshire-based Rolls-Royce is supplying Trent 1000 engines for the Dreamliner. Other parts of the aircraft, such as the center fuselage and horizontal stabilizer, are built in Italy, while the aft and forward fuselage (including the flight deck), as well as the engine nacelles are built in the U.S. The wing's moveable trailing edge is fabricated in Australia, according to a BA news release.

Dedicated teams across British Airways are working behind the scenes to prepare for both the 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A380s entering into service. The new aircraft will bring significant opportunities to grow British Airways' route network, with new destinations for both the B787 and the A380 to be announced next year.
 
Last year, British Airways completed the latest phase of a multi-million dollar redevelopment of its Heathrow engineering base to prepare for the arrival of the new fleet of Boeing 787s, 777-300ERs and the Airbus A380s.

(Artist's rendering of British Airways B787)

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.britishairways.com