Qantas's Indigenous-painted 787 takes flight

Qantas Boeing 787-9 VH-ZND at Boeing's Everett facility. (Katie Bailey) — Qantas Boeing 787-9 VH-ZND at Boeing’s Everett facility. (Katie Bailey)

Qantas’s fourth Boeing 787-9 has emerged from the paintshop and completed its first test flights as the clock counts down to the arrival of the aircraft with an Indigenous-inspired livery at a special welcome ceremony at Alice Springs in early March.
The aircraft, VH-ZND, broke cover at Boeing’s Everett facility on Thursday morning (US time) before completing a 90-minute flight to Moses Lake, according to flight tracking website Flightaware.
After about 15 minutes on the ground, the 787-9 departed Moses Lake for a 40-minute return journey to Everett.
The new livery is based on a work by the late Northern Territory artist and senior Anmatyerre woman, Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Her 1991 painting, Yam Dreaming has been adapted for the aircraft by Indigenous-owned design studio Balarinji.
The aircraft, which will be named Emily Kame Kngwarreye, will be ferried from Everett nonstop to Alice Springs for a special welcome event on March 2.
Twitter user @mattcawby also posted a photo of the aircraft on Twitter

Qantas 787-9 VH-ZND B1 flight from Everett pic.twitter.com/HwCh2LNE1n

— Paine Airport (@mattcawby) February 15, 2018

As did @airportwebcams

LIVE: On-order @QANTAS Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner VH-ZND in 'Yam Dreaming' special livery is airborne on its first test flight. Track BOE272 to Moses Lake & back to Everett: https://t.co/ceOoimjql3 | https://t.co/CXiqZbCOUt pic.twitter.com/g5DuMv2n74

— Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) February 15, 2018