Feature: Airline Update
placing orders: liquidity is back in the market, From top: BA’s new First lie-flat; Etihad’s First Class suite; Air New Zealand
traffic is back in the market, and GDP growth is back. It looks as if we have turned the corner and that’s why we’re seeing strong growth.” The air show’s biggest star, though, was the Dreamliner. It was the next generation aircraft’s international debut, having flown direct from Boeing HQ in Seattle and was the only one of the test fleet to be partially mocked-up with a commercial cabin. After touring the show model, Dorota Michalska, fleet manager for LOT Polish Airlines, reported: “Very nice windows - they are 8cm taller than most and feature a clever dimmer switch rather than traditional blind. From a customer perspective, it’s a great aircraft. It will very likely be in our fleet for a long time.” Theirs, and probably that of the other 55 future customers too. For Boeing currently has over 860 orders for the Dreamliner – dwarfing Airbus’ 234 for the A380 – thanks to the economical and environmental gains it promises to deliver. Engineering boffins will be wowed by the Dreamliner’s carbon composite construction which eliminates over 1,500 aluminium sheets,
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www.onboardhospitality.com
50,000 fasteners and 60 miles of copper wire, but the upshot is a lighter, more fuel-efficient aircraft, capable of flying longer distances. ANA is the patient launch customer for the Dreamliner, whose latest delivery date has been pushed back to early next year (2011), but in Europe it’s Thomson Airways who got in there first. While the airline might have eyes only for the leisure market, the Dreamliner’s potential will resonate with business-minded carriers too. “It really pushes the envelope of where we can
“While the airline might have eyes only for the leisure market, the Dreamliner’s potential will resonate with business- minded carriers too.”
fly to,” says the carrier’s md, Chris Browne. “We’re looking at taking this aircraft to lots of regional departure points. We wanted something cost effective that gives better customer comfort and
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