Boeing has rolled out the first 787 Dreamliner for United Airlines as the composite-built aircraft prepares to hit the US market.
United’s 787 features a custom livery with a gold line wrapping the fuselage from nose to tail. “The swoop,” as United describes it, “is inspired by the trademark swoop painted on each Boeing aircraft and is being adopted for the United 787 in a tribute to the two companies’ long history of working together.”
United is scheduled to take delivery of the 787 in September. It will be used initially on domestic routes before opening international services between Denver and Tokyo next March, the carrier says.
United, which inherited the order from its take-over of Continental, has chosen General Electric GEnx engines for its Dreamliners – the same engines that spewed burning debris onto the runway of a South Carolina airport during ground tests of a 787 destined for Air India over the weekend. That incident is under investigation.
United has ordered a total 50 787s and recently settled with Boeing on compensation over delivery delays. Boeing has so far delivered 11 787s this year, all to Japanese carriers.
