Hundreds of aviation enthusiasts gathered at Manchester airport this morning to welcome the landing of the first Dreamliner plane to be operated by a UK airline.
Thomson Airways took delivery of their first Boeing 787 after it was flown from the Boeing Everett Factory in Seattle – a 10 hour flight away.
The 291-passenger jet will make its maiden commercial flight on July 8, from Manchester to Florida and from Glasgow to Cancun, Mexico.
Chris Browne, Managing Director of Thomson Airways, said: “After much anticipation we are very excited to welcome the 787 Dreamliner to our fleet.”
HISTORIC DAY: The Dreamliner arrives at Manchester Airport
She said that she hopes customers will enjoy the unique experience on-board the aircraft and that they will be amazed by its look, feel and service.
Aviation experts have hailed the Dreamliner as the greatest advance in air travel since Concorde with Boeing claiming it is the world’s most efficient airliner.
The jet is made of composite materials and is considerably lighter than traditional materials – it can fly further than similar sized aircrafts and uses 20% less fuel.
Carl Gissing, Thomson’s Director of Customer Service, said: “The aeroplane is very much part of our modernisation programme – we want to put unique holidays out to our customers and the 787 is very much a big part of that.”
THE FUTURE OF AIR TRAVEL? The Dreamliner makes first landing in Manchester
He says that the Dreamliner will unlock a host of new and exciting long-haul destinations for holiday-makers, including Thailand, Mauritius and Puerto Vallarta.
Three more of the jets will be delivered to Thomson Airlines this summer and it will fly the Dreamliners from London Gatwick, East Midlands and Glasgow as well as from Manchester.
Thomson initially intended to start flying the plane at the beginning of this month but safety fears grounded their plans.
Thomson had to cancel its Dreamliner flights for May and June after all 787’s were grounded by Boeing due to battery malfunctions that caused one plane in the US to catch fire.
Boeing said it put 200,000 engineer hours into fixing the problem and last month airlines were given the green-light to resume flights.
Thomson Airways will take delivery of eight Dreamliners in total, up to May 2015.
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