Air India gets its first Dreamliner
08 Sep 2012
Air India today took delivery of its first B-787 Dreamliner aircraft with the 256-seater aircraft landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
The state-run airline received the new aircraft painted in red and yellow livery of Air India with a water cannon salute on its arrival at the IGI Airport.
The first Dreamliner, however, was delivered after a four-year delay by Boeing, the maker of the aircraft, due to production snags.
Air India hopes to boost its revenues with the fuel-saver aircraft that has 18 full-flat business class seats with flat-bed recline, and 238 economy class seats.
The national carrier will take delivery of two more Dreamliners in the next few weeks. Air India had ordered a total 27 of these jets.
The plane landed at the main runway of the IGI airport at 5 pm after a 15-hour flight from Boeing's Charleston facility in South Carolina in the US with a 90-minute stopover at Frankfurt for re-fuelling.
Air India chairman and managing director Rohit Nandan and senior civil aviation ministry and airline officials were present to receive the state-of-the-art aircraft.
The aircraft is expected to become the mainstay of Air India's global operations and is being touted as the key to its turnaround plan.
