Boeing is sending its 787 Dreamliner on a six month world tour showing off what it touts as a game changing aircraft.
The tour will begin December 4 with a weeklong stop in China where Boeing will pitch its new aircraft to government officials and representatives of Air China, China Southern and Hainan Airlines. That will be following by a five day swing through East Africa to visit Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways and then a three day stop in Doha to visit Qatar Airways.
Dates and destinations for subsequent legs of the tour will be announced later, Boeing said. Many of the stops will include tours for local media, while aviation enthusiasts can follow the progress of the tour at www.newairplane.com.
The show plane, ZA003, is an overhauled test jet retrofitted with an interior that shows off the 787’s interior features, including an overhead entryway skylight and dimmable LED cabin lighting.
Boeing has a backlog of more than 800 orders for the 787. Launch customer All Nippon Airways began commercial operation of the plane last month.
A different 787, ZA001, briefly visited Australia earlier this month as Qantas celebrated its 91st birthday. The Qantas Group has orders on 50 787s and an option to buy 50 more, and expects to begin taking delivery in late 2012 or early 2013.
