Air India has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner more than four years late.
The aircraft arrived in Delhi on Saturday, the first of three 787s Air India hopes to take this year. The carrier has 27 of the carbon composite planes on order.
Air India becomes the fifth 787 operator, with LAN and Ethiopian Airlines having recently joined Japan Airlines and launch customer All Nippon Airways. United Airlines is scheduled to receive its first 787 later this month.
Air India was initially scheduled to receive the 787 in May 2008 but that date was repeatedly pushed back as the 787 program hit a number of production delays. Boeing and Air India reached an undisclosed compensation settlement earlier this winter after contentious negotiations that saw cash-strapped Air India reportedly seek as much as US$1 billion in damages.
