The much-awaited Boeing 787 Dreamliner which is expected to be soon inducted into Air India’s fleet will be on display at an air show in Hyderabad from March 14 in the flag carrier’s livery.
“The 787 with the Air India specifications as well as interiors, colours and logo of the flag carrier will be in the country from March 12 till March 16, 2012,” a senior Air India official told IANS.
“The aircraft will be showcased at India Aviation 2012 in Hyderabad from March 14 to March 16. This will a chance for everyone to have a look and feel of the aircraft.”
The aircraft boasts of reduced operating costs in terms of maintenance, 20 percent less fuel consumption and enable faster turnarounds, resulting in more flying hours.
The plane can fly up to 16,000 km non-stop and is suitable for long to medium-haul routes like Mumbai-Sydney, Delhi-Tokyo, Delhi-New York or Delhi-Toronto.
According to the official, AI’s B-787 will be equipped with best-in class seats for its 256 passengers and would sport beautifully designed interiors with warm colours.
“We have contracted the world’s best seat manufacturers for our business and economy class seats including Contour Aerospace Limited and Weber Aircraft.”
While Contour Aerospace Limited will provide the 18 business class seats, Weber would provide the 238 seats for the economy class section.
The in-flight-entertainment system, the AI official said, would be the state-of-the-art I8000 from electronics major Thales.
Air India had ordered 27 Boeing 787s in 2006 in a mega deal for 68 aircraft from Boeing. Till date, Air India and Jet Airways have ordered a total of 37 Dreamliners from Boeing.
The official, however, did not divulge the exact date of the aircraft’s induction into the fleet. The aircraft was due to join the nation carrier by 2009 but was delayed due to the account of structural deficiencies in the hull of the aircraft that required modification.
It is expected that the national carrier would welcome its first passengers on the aircraft sometime in May. This will make the Indian flag carrier second airline in the world to fly the B-787.
The Dreamliner made its maiden flight to India in July, when Air India officials had inspected the aircraft.