Boeing rolls out the first 787 Dreamliner for ANA

Boeing Co unveiled the first 787 Dreamliner for delivery next month to Japanese airline All Nippon Airways, three years behind schedule and billions of dollars over the budget.

The plane will be delivered in Tokyo.

"We are rolling out the first delivery airplane, the first 787. That's an amazing thing for those who have worked on the programme five, six, seven years, here at Boeing and our partners around the world," said Scott Fancher, Boeing's vice president and general manager of the 787 programme.

The plane is the first commercial airliner to be made mostly of carbon composites, which allows for a lighter plane that Boeing says could use up to 20 per cent less fuel than conventional aircraft. This not only makes it more environmentally-friendly but also a very cost effective option for airlines.

So far, Boeing has more than 800 orders for the 787 Dreamliner, which has a list price of about $200 million per plane.

The Dreamliner has two versions. The first version, the 787-8, holds 210 to 250 passengers on routes. A second version, the 787-9, holds 250 to 290 passengers and is designed for longer international routes.