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Finally, Air India’s 1st Dreamliner touches down
Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service

WATER SALUTE: The Boeing 787 Dreamliner gets a water cannon salute on its arrival in New Delhi. Tribune photo: Mukesh aggarwal

New Delhi, September 8
Struggling national carrier Air India’s four-year wait for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner finally ended today with the touchdown of the first of these long-haul planes at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The Dreamliner took 15 hours of flying time between Boeing’s Charleston factory in South Carolina and Delhi (apart from a 90-minute stopover at Frankfurt for re-fuelling), where it was welcomed with customary water-cannon salute and religious ceremony.

The carrier will take delivery of two more of the ordered 27 Dreamliners in the coming few weeks.

Air India’s deal with Boeing for the aircraft went through several twists and turns. The carrier was initially supposed to be delivered between September 2008 and October 2011, but due to design and production delays at the manufacturer’s end, the delivery could not be made on time.

Induction of the aircraft in the Air India fleet is a major boost for Boeing, which is currently engaged in a major tussle with rival Airbus to corner commercial market share across the world. Boeing recently lost a $7 billion Philippines airline order and a $3.5-billion China deal to Airbus.

The Qantas Airways also scrapped a contract for 35 Dreamliners after delivery delays and losses on international routes. The plane will now become the mainstay of the troubled airline’s global operations.

According to Boeing officials, Dreamliner is “fundamentally the right plane” for Air India’s turnaround. “The plane will help the national carrier augment and expand its network,” they say.

The aircraft has the range and capacity to be deployed on many routes including those straddling the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Australia, at significantly lower operating costs.