British Airways operated its inaugural revenue flight on Saturday with its Boeing 787-10, a transatlantic service destined for Dallas Fort-Worth.
The first 787-10 attached to BA’s commercial roster, the aircraft in question is registered as G-ZBLA.
The news broke after BA took delivery of its first 787-10 on 28 June, nearly six months behind schedule as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
While the oneworld carrier originally placed orders for 12 of the model, it had planned on receiving the first 10 back in January.
“The delivery of our first 787-10 aircraft marks another significant milestone in our £6.5 billion customer investment plan,” said BA CEO Álex Cruz.
“The aircraft delivers a 25 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the aircraft it replaces, another step towards our commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. It will also offer greater comfort for our customers, as it features our latest generation seats in all cabins.”
The 787-10 joins BA’s existing fleet of 30, comprising 12 787-8s and 18 787-9s. While the company has said that later models will be phased out over time, no time frame or roadmap has been publicly detailed.
BA’s parent company – International Airlines Group (IAG) – recently reaffirmed its commitment to taking on nine “long-range aircraft” in 2021; though it didn’t detail models or which of four airlines they would be allocated to. At the same time, the company has said that it will look to pare down its overall delivery schedule for 2021 from 17 aircraft to just nine, meaning BA is unlikely to follow through on plans to acquire the Boeing 777-9.
In November 2019, BA announced plans to use its first Boeing 787-10 on services to the US city of Atlanta. However, coupled with delays brought about as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, these plans seem to have fallen by the wayside.
