British Airways is set to mark a milestone aircraft delivery on Friday (September 29), as it welcomes the 25th Dreamliner into its fleet.
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft will be making its maiden voyage to the airline’s Heathrow home with the flight number BA8625. It will depart Boeing’s Seattle factory on Thursday September 28 at 6.05pm local time and will land at Heathrow at 11.15am local time the following day.
The three cabin aircraft, with the registration G-ZBJI, will be the ninth 787-8 to join the airline’s fleet. British Airways also has 16 787-9s. Two further 787-9 aircraft and three 787-8 aircraft will be delivered in 2018, followed by 12 787-10s to arrive between 2020 and 2023.
Captain Stephen Riley, British Airways’ director of flight operations, will be taking delivery of the aircraft, he said:
“It is a great privilege to be the Captain flying to Heathrow in our newest aircraft. Some two-and-a-half years of work goes into the delivery of a new aircraft so it’s an exciting moment when we finally fly it home to join the fleet.
“The Dreamliners are fantastic aircraft both to fly as a pilot and to enjoy as a customer. They are incredibly technologically advanced and the most fuel-efficient long-haul aircraft. They’ve also been designed with travelers’ comfort in mind, which means customers arrive at their destination feeling great.”
The 787s are the most technologically advanced aircraft in British Airways’ fleet. The aircraft consists of a carbon fibre fuselage, which allows the pressure to be maintained at a lower level in the cabin. The internal cabin altitude is the equivalent of 6,000ft, which is 2,000ft lower than on other aircraft. This leads to greater humidity, reducing the drying effect of the cabin air, so customers arrive feeling more refreshed.
One of the unique features on the Dreamliner is its wings, with a span of 197 feet (60 meters) the curvature allows the aircraft to climb better and increases fuel efficiency. The Dreamliner can also reach a maximum speed of 954 kilometres per hour with a range of 15,200 kilometres, allowing the airline to fly to destinations further afield such as Santiago in Chile and Mumbai in India.
The windows in the 787 are thirty percent bigger than any other aircraft. It means customers can maintain eye level with the horizon, which lessens motion sickness. It is also around 40 percent quieter than other aircraft, giving customers the ideal environment to get some shuteye.
British Airways took delivery of its first Dreamliner, a 787-8, in July 2013. Two years later, in 2015, the airline took delivery of the next generation of the Boeings Dreamliner, a 787-9.