Virgin Atlantic Airways First 787-9 Dreamliner

Courtesy Boeing

LONDON /PRNewswire/ — Boeing [NYSE:BA] and Virgin Atlantic Airways are celebrating the delivery of the airline’s first 787-9 Dreamliner. The airline is the first European airline to take delivery of the 787-9 and plans to operate the airplane initially on its London Heathrow to Boston route.

Virgin Atlantic’s first 787-9 touched down at London’s Gatwick Airport following a more than 7,400 kilometer (4,000 nautical mile) nonstop flight from Paine Field in Everett, Wash. The airplane, named ‘Birthday Girl’ in reference to the UK carrier’s 30th anniversary, is the first of 16 787-9s Virgin Atlantic has ordered from Boeing.

Based out of London’s Gatwick and Heathrow Airports, as well as Manchester and Glasgow Airports, Virgin Atlantic Airways operates a fleet of approximately 40 airplanes. Along with its first 787-9, the British operator also has a Boeing fleet of 12 747-400s operating on routes across North America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

To date, nearly 60 customers from around the world have ordered more than 1,000 Dreamliners, approximately 40 percent of which are 787-9s.

Source Boeing / Edited By Airline Adviser 10/15/14