Boeing’s 787 world tour will arrive in Australia this week as part of its seventh and final leg.
The highly touted — and long delayed — jetliner is scheduled to touch down in Sydney on Thursday before departing for Auckland on May 29. The aircraft, ZA003, will stop in Darwin on May 31 before leaving for Uzbekistan the following day.
A refurbished test aircraft, ZA003 features a two-class passenger layout and all of the 787’s headline interior features, including larger windows and dynamic LED lighting.
Qantas has ordered 50 of the composite-built jetliners, including 15 787-8s and 35 of the larger 787-9s, which have yet to fly. The first of Qantas’s 787s, due to be delivered next year, are slated to go to budget offshoot Jetstar, though recent reports have speculated that Qantas may instead take some of the early aircraft.
Following completion of the world tour, Boeing said 787 ZA003 would return to the test fleet to trial technologies due to be introduced with the 787-9.
