Air India receives first 787

Air India and Boeing celebrated (06-Sep-2012) the delivery of the airline's first 787. "Today is a great day for Air India as the most technologically advanced and fuel efficient airplane in the world joins our fleet," Air India CMD Rohit Nandan said, adding, "The 787 will allow Air India to open new routes in a dynamic marketplace and provide the best in-flight experience for our passengers." Air India is only the fifth airline in the world to take delivery of a 787. The delivery is the first of 27 Dreamliners for Air India, with the carrier to configure its 787s with 18 business class seats and 238 economy class seats. The 787 has the range and capability to allow Air India to deploy the Dreamliner on many routes including the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Australia. Air India's first 787 Dreamliner was assembled in Everett and was delivered from Boeing's South Carolina delivery centre. The aircraft is scheduled to fly to Delhi on 07-Sep-2012. The carrier is expected to receive a further two deliveries by month-end, according to PTI reports, despite the Delay Compensation Agreement, which was cleared by the Union Cabinet in Aug-2012, reportedly yet to be approved by the Law Ministry. Air India intends to have 14 787s in its fleet by Mar-2013. For the next few weeks, the 787 would be operated on the domestic sectors, including Delhi-Mumbai. [more - original PR]