Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner is a stretched version of 787-8 model which Jetstar is now flying. The 787-9 carries more passengers and can fly over longer distances than its sibling.
Auckland: Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner is headed ‘down under’ next month as the next-gen jet undergoes extensive testing ahead of its mid-year debut with Air New Zealand.
The visit is expected to include stop-overs at Auckland, Brisbane and Alice Springs.
But the 787-9 which will fly to Australia and New Zealand in January won’t carry any passengers apart from Boeing pilots, engineers and technicians who will put the plane through its paces in an array of real-world conditions.
This will include ‘hot testing’ under the scorching summer sun at Alice Springs, in the middle of Australia, where average temperatures for January hover around 36 degrees with a record of 49.2 °C.
That’s a crucial part of certifying the Boeing 787-9 for use by airlines, which is why this Dreamliner will pack a comprehensive array of equipment to record in exacting detail how the plane performs.
Boeing now has three 787-9s in its test fleet, although the next two aircraft to roll out of the factory will be fitted with standard interiors and primarily used for promotional flights.
The 787-9 Dreamliner schedule
While details have not been finalised, the 787-9 is expected to arrive into Auckland in the late afternoon of Saturday January 4 to be showcased by worldwide launch customer Air New Zealand.
A preliminary schedule supplied to Australian Business Traveller by Brisbane Airport lists the 787-9 as departing Auckland on Monday January 6 around 11am (NZ time).
It will then make a refuelling stop at Brisbane Airport, touching down around 12 noon with wheels-up again at 3pm, before reaching Alice Springs around 5pm.
Flight tests around Australia’s ‘red centre’ are expected to run from Tuesday January 7 to Saturday January 11th, according to the schedule.
It’ll then be nine long months of continued testing until the Boeing 787-9 makes its first commercial flight with Air New Zealand on October 15, 2014 from Auckland to Perth.
(Tickets for that flight are now on sale at airnewzealand.com and through the Kiwi carrier’s partner Virgin Australia at virginaustralia.com.au.)
As more 787-9s join the Air NZ fleet, the Dreamliner will appear on the Auckland-Tokyo and Auckland-Shanghai routes.
– Australian Business Traveller
Inside the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
- Each of Air New Zealand’s 10 Boeing 787-9s will see a three-class configuration of 18 seats in business class, 21 in premium economy and 263 in economy.
- The pointy end of Air NZ’s Boeing 787-9 will see 18 of the familiar Business Premier seats already seen on the airline’s flagship Boeing 777s.
- The lie-flat business class seats are arranged in a 1-1-1 herringbone layout so that every passenger has direct aisle access.
- The seat is fitted with a ‘memory foam’ mattress, duvet and two full size pillows.
- Less familiar are the Premium Economy seats, with Air NZ choosing a more standard ‘off the shelf’ design instead of its Spaceseat.
- The Premium economy seats have been sourced from US seat designer Zodiac, with Air New Zealand calling them “a customised seat best described as Business-lite.”
- Arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration, the seats have a 41” pitch and 5” wide armrest, with a generous 9” recline, integrated leg rest and extendable foot support.
- There are 21 premium economy seats in this stand-alone cabin, which also has its own dedicated bathroom facilities.
- The bulk of Air New Zealand’s Boeing 787-9 is given over to two economy cabins with all seating in a 3-3-3 layout. This includes 14 Skycouch rows of three seats where the legrests and armrests flip all the way up to convert into a ‘sofa-like’ flat surface.