| Role: | Wide-Body Jet Airliner | |
| National Origin | United States | |
| Manufacturer | Boeing Commercial Airlines | |
| First Flight | December 15, 2009 | |
| Introduction | October 26, 2011, with All Nippon Airways | |
| Status | In Service | |
| Primary Users | All Nippon Airways | |
| Air India | ||
| Japan Airlines | ||
| Qatar Airways | ||
| Produced | 2007-Present | |
| Number Built | 292 as of June 2015 | |
| Program Cost | US$32 billion (Boeing's expenditure as of 2011) | |
| Unit Cost | 787-8: US$218.3 million (2013) | |
| 787-9: US$257.1 million (2013) | ||
| 787-10: US$297.5 million (2013) |
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a long-range, mid-size wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Its variants seat 242 to 335 passengers in typical 3-class seating configurations. It is Boeing's most fuel-efficient airliner and is a pioneering airliner with the use of composite materials as the primary material in the construction of its airframe. The 787 was designed to be 20% more fuel efficient than the 767 it is replacing. The 787 Dreamliner's distinguishing features include mostly electrical flight systems, a four-panel windshield, and noise-reducing chevrons on its engine nacelles. It shares a common type rating with the larger Boeing 777 to allow qualified pilots to operate both models.
The aircraft's initial designation was the 7E7, prior to its renaming in January 2005. The first 787 was unveiled in a roll-out ceremony on July 8, 2007 (7/8/07) at Boeing's factory in Everett, Washington. Development and production of the 787 has involved a large-scale collaboration with numerous suppliers worldwide. Final assembly takes place at the Boeing Everett Factory in Everett, Washington, and at the Boeing South Carolina factory in North Charleston, South Carolina. Originally planned to enter service in May 2008, the project experienced multiple delays. The airliner's maiden flight took place on December 15, 2009, and completed flight testing in mid-2011
Final Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certification was received in August 2011 and the first 787-8 was delivered in September 2011. It entered commercial service on October 26, 2011 with launch customer All Nippon Airways. The stretched 787-9 variant, which is 20 feet (6.1 m) longer and can fly 450 nautical miles (830 km) farther than the -8, first flew in September 2013. Deliveries of the 787-9 began in July 2014; it entered commercial service on August 7, 2014 with All Nippon Airways, with 787-9 launch customer Air New Zealand following two days later. As of June 2015, the 787 had orders for 1,095 aircraft from 60 customers, with All Nippon Airways having the largest number on order.[1]
The aircraft has suffered from several in-service problems, notably fires on board related to its lithium-ion batteries. These systems were reviewed by both the FAA and the Japanese aviation agency. On January 16, 2013, the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive that grounded all 787s in the United States. Other civil aviation authorities followed suit and grounded the other Dreamliners. After Boeing completed tests on a revised battery design, the FAA approved the revised design on April 19, 2013, and lifted the grounding on April 26, 2013; the 787 returned to passenger service later that month.
During the late 1990s, Boeing began studying replacement aircraft programs as sales for the 767 and Boeing 747-400 slowed. The company proposed two new aircraft, the 747X, which would have lengthened the 747-400 and improved efficiency, and the Sonic Cruiser, which would have achieved 15% higher speeds (approximately Mach 0.98) while burning fuel at the same rate as the existing 767.[4] Market interest for the 747X was tepid, but the Sonic Cruiser had brighter prospects. Several major airlines in the United States, including Continental Airlines, initially showed enthusiasm for the Sonic Cruiser concept, although they also expressed concerns about the operating cost.[5]
The global airline market had been disrupted by the September 11, 2001 attacks and increased petroleum prices, making airlines more interested in efficiency than speed. The worst-affected airlines, those in the United States, had been considered the most likely customers of the Sonic Cruiser, and thus Boeing officially cancelled the Sonic Cruiser on December 20, 2002. Changing course, the company announced an alternative product using Sonic Cruiser technology in a more conventional configuration, the 7E7, on January 29, 2003.[6][7] The emphasis on a smaller midsize twinjet rather than a large 747-size aircraft represented a shift from hub-and-spoke theory towards the point-to-point theory,[8] in response to analysis of focus groups.[9]
The replacement for the Sonic Cruiser project was dubbed the "7E7"[10] (with a development code name of "Y2"). Technology from the Sonic Cruiser and 7E7 was to be used as part of Boeing's project to replace its entire airliner product line, an endeavor called the Yellowstone Project (of which the 7E7 became the first stage).[11] Early concept images of the 7E7 included rakish cockpit windows, a dropped nose and a distinctive "shark-fin" tail.[12] The "E" was said to stand for various things, such as "efficiency" or "environmentally friendly"; however, in the end, Boeing said that it merely stood for "Eight".[6] In July 2003, a public naming competition was held for the 7E7, for which out of 500,000 votes cast online the winning title was Dreamliner.[13] Other names in the pool included eLiner, Global Cruiser and Stratoclimber.[14]
On April 26, 2004, Japanese airline All Nippon Airways became the launch customer for the Dreamliner, by announcing a firm order for 50 aircraft with deliveries to begin in late 2008.[15] All Nippon Airways' order was initially specified as 30 787-3, 290–330 seat, one-class domestic aircraft, and 20 787-8, long-haul, 210–250 seat, two-class aircraft for regional international routes such as Tokyo Narita–Beijing. The aircraft would allow All Nippon Airways to open new routes to cities not previously served, such as Denver, Moscow, and New Delhi.[16] The 787-3 and 787-8 were to be the initial variants, with the 787-9 entering service in 2010.[17]
The 787 was designed to be the first production airliner with the fuselage assembled with one-piece composite barrel sections instead of the multiple aluminum sheets and some 50,000 fasteners used on existing aircraft.[18][19] Boeing selected two new engine types to power the 787, the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 and General Electric GEnx.[6] Boeing stated the 787 would be approximately 20 percent more fuel-efficient than the 767,[20] with approximately 40 percent of the efficiency gain from the engines,[21] plus gains from aerodynamic improvements,[22] increased use of lighter-weight composite materials, and advanced systems.[17] The 787-8 and −9 were intended to be certified to 330 minute ETOPS capability.[23]
During the design phase, the 787 underwent extensive wind tunnel testing at Boeing's Transonic Wind Tunnel, QinetiQ's five-meter wind tunnel at Farnborough, United Kingdom, and NASA Ames Research Center's wind tunnel, as well as at the French aerodynamics research agency, ONERA. The final styling of the aircraft was more conservative than earlier proposals, with the fin, nose, and cockpit windows changed to a more conventional form. By the end of 2004, customer-announced orders and commitments for the 787 reached 237 aircraft.[24] Boeing initially priced the 787-8 variant at US$120 million, a low figure that surprised the industry. In 2007, the list price was US$146–151.5 million for the 787-3, US$157–167 million for the 787-8 and US$189–200 million for the 787-9.[25] The 787 airframe underwent extensive structural testing during its design.[26][27]
After stiff competition, Boeing announced on December 16, 2003, that the 787 would be assembled in its factory in Everett, Washington.[6] Instead of building the complete aircraft from the ground up in the traditional manner, final assembly would employ 800 to 1,200 people to join completed subassemblies and to integrate systems.[28] Boeing assigned its global subcontractors to do more assembly themselves and deliver completed subassemblies to Boeing for final assembly. This approach was intended to result in a leaner and simpler assembly line and lower inventory,[29] with pre-installed systems reducing final assembly time by three-quarters to three days.[30][31]
Subcontracted assemblies included wing manufacture (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan, central wing box)[32] horizontal stabilizers (Alenia Aeronautica, Italy; Korea Aerospace Industries, South Korea);[33] fuselage sections (Global Aeronautica, Italy; Boeing, North Charleston, US; Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan; Spirit AeroSystems, Wichita, US; Korean Air, South Korea);[34][35][36] passenger doors (Latécoère, France); cargo doors, access doors, and crew escape door (Saab AB, Sweden); software development (HCL Enterprise India);[37] floor beams (TAL Manufacturing Solutions Limited, India);[38][39] wiring (Labinal, France);[40] wing-tips, flap support fairings, wheel well bulkhead, and longerons (Korean Air, South Korea);[41] landing gear (Messier-Bugatti-Dowty, UK/France);[42][43] and power distribution and management systems, air conditioning packs (Hamilton Sundstrand, Connecticut, US).[40][44] Boeing is considering bringing construction of the 787-9 tail in house; the tail of the 787-8 is currently made by Alenia.[45]
To speed up delivery of the 787's major components, Boeing modified four used 747-400s into 747 Dreamlifters to transport 787 wings, fuselage sections, and other smaller parts. Japanese industrial participation was very important to the project, with Japanese companies co-designing and building 35% of the aircraft. This was the first time outside firms were given a key role in the design of Boeing airliner wings. The Japanese government also provided support with an estimated US$2 billion in loans.[46] On April 26, 2006, Japanese manufacturer Toray Industries and Boeing signed a production agreement involving US$6 billion worth of carbon fiber, extending a 2004 contract and aimed at easing production concerns.[6] In May 2007 final assembly on the first 787 began at Boeing's Everett, Washington plant.[47]
The 787 project became less lucrative than expected for some subcontractors. Finmeccanica had a total loss of €750 million on the project by 2013.[48]
While Boeing had been working to trim excess weight since assembly of the first airframe began, the company stated in late 2006 that the first six 787s were overweight, with the first aircraft expected to be 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) heavier than specified.[49] The seventh and subsequent aircraft would be the first optimized 787-8s and were expected to meet all goals, with Boeing working on weight reductions.[50][51] As part of this process, Boeing redesigned some parts and made more use of titanium.[52][53] Early built 787s were overweight and some carriers decided to take later aircraft. In February 2015, Boeing has been trying to sell 10 such aircraft that have been parked by Boeing's factory.[54]
Boeing's early plans called for first flight by the end of August 2007 and premiered the first 787 at a rollout ceremony on July 8, 2007.[55] The Dreamliner had 677 orders at this time, which is more orders from launch to roll-out than any previous wide-body airliner.[56] The aircraft's major systems had not been installed at that time and many parts were attached with temporary non-aerospace fasteners requiring replacement with flight fasteners later.[57] Although intended to shorten the production process, 787 subcontractors initially had difficulty completing the extra work because they could not procure the needed parts and perform the subassembly on schedule, leaving remaining assembly work for Boeing to complete as "traveled work".[58][59][60]
In September 2007, Boeing announced a three-month delay, blaming a shortage of fasteners as well as incomplete software.[61] On October 10, 2007, a second three-month delay to the first flight and a six-month delay to first deliveries was announced due to supply chain problems, a lack of documentation from overseas suppliers, and flight guidance software delays.[62][63] Less than a week later, Mike Bair, the 787 program manager was replaced.[64] On January 16, 2008, Boeing announced a third three-month delay to the first flight of the 787, citing insufficient progress on "traveled work".[65] On March 28, 2008, in an effort to gain more control over the supply chain, Boeing announced plans to buy Vought Aircraft Industries' interest in Global Aeronautica;[66] a later agreement was also made to buy Vought's factory in North Charleston.[67]
On April 9, 2008, Boeing announced a fourth delay, shifting the maiden flight to the fourth quarter of 2008, and delaying initial deliveries by around 15 months to the third quarter of 2009. The 787-9 variant was postponed to 2012 and the 787-3 variant was to follow with no firm delivery date.[68] On November 4, 2008, a fifth delay was announced due to incorrect fastener installation and the Boeing machinists strike, stating that the first test flight would not occur in the fourth quarter of 2008.[69][70] After assessing the 787 program schedule with its suppliers,[71] Boeing confirmed on December 11, 2008, that the first flight would be delayed until the second quarter of 2009.[72] Airlines, including United Airlines and Air India, stated their intentions to seek compensation from Boeing for the delays.[73][74]
