New airliner to debut at Farnborough

Members of the public will be able to see the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner for the first time at next week's Farnborough Air Show, the firm has announced.

The new Dreamliner, set to go into service later this year, will be presented alongside its rival Airbus's A380 superjumbo at the show, which runs July 19 - 25.

It will be the official debut of the Boeing 787, which completed its maiden flight in December, with scheduled tours offered by Boeing to trade visitors on July 19 and 20.

Boeing says that test aircraft ZA003 will be in attendance, expected to land at Farnborough Airport at approximately 9AM on Sunday, July 18 and depart again on July 20.

The lightweight composite structure of the Dreamliner is expected to herald a new generation of lighter, greener aircraft, despite boasting a capacity of between 290 and 330 passengers.

Boeing says that it will be considerably quieter during takeoff and landing and some 20 percent more fuel efficient than comparable jets currently on the market, making it cheaper and more environmentally-friendly to run.

Passengers are also promised a more comfortable ride, with a higher cabin pressurization to reduce sickness and headaches and the largest windows ever used on a commercial airliner.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been the fastest-selling widebody airliner in history and assuming that the remainder of the test flights (including that to Farnborough) go well, it should enter service with All Nippon Airways in late 2010.

The Farnborough Air Show runs July 19 - 25 in Farnborough, United Kingdom.

http://www.farnborough.com