NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C., 9 Oct. 2012.Boeing (NYSE:BA) delivered the first 787 Dreamlinercommercial aircraft to roll out of its North Charleston, S.C., facility to Air India.
Boeing South Carolina fabricates, integrates, and assembles the midbody and aftbody fuselage sections for all 787 Dreamliners. Completed sections are joined in South Carolina Final Assembly, or transported via the Dreamlifter to the company’s 787 Final Assembly facility in Everett, Wash.
Work on the Boeing South Carolina Final Assembly and Delivery Center began in Nov. 2009. Production of the first South Carolina-built 787 began in mid-2011 and the completed airplane rolled out of the factory in April.
"Within just three years of breaking ground, we have flown and delivered our first airplane built at Boeing South Carolina," Jack Jones, vice president and general manager, Boeing South Carolina, explains. "This is a tribute to the remarkable Boeing South Carolina team and the support we have received from our airline customers, our supplier partners, and the Boeing enterprise, as well as the relationship we have with the State of South Carolina."
"We're delighted to be the first airline in the world to take delivery of a Dreamliner from this beautiful factory and look forward to taking many more," said Air India Board Member K.M. Unni. "The 787 is an airplane with unmatched efficiency and technology, which will help in our airline's turnaround plan."
Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, praised Boeing's long, successful partnership with Air India, including delivery in September of its first two of 27 Dreamliners. "With two 787s successfully introduced to Air India's fleet, passengers are enjoying breakthrough features such as larger windows, lower cabin altitude and unprecedented flying experience," said Keskar.
Today's delivery marks the 28th 787 Dreamliner delivered to date. Boeing South Carolina will increase final assembly production to three 787s per month by the end of 2013.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the first commercial jetliner made primarily of advanced composite materials. It offers exceptional passenger comfort features, including cleaner air, a lower cabin altitude, higher humidity, bigger windows that dim electronically and more overhead storage space. Airlines appreciate its fuel efficiency, which is 20 percent better than other airplanes in its class and results in 20 percent lower carbon emissions.
