IATA AGM 2013: Royal Brunei Airlines to receive first 787 in Oct-2013
Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) deputy chairman Dermot Mannion told (04-Jun-2013) CAPA on the sidelines of the IATA annual general meeting in Cape Town that the carrier is on track to become the first 787 operator in Southeast Asia in Oct-2013. Mr Mannion says the carrier is now slated to take its first two 787-8s in Oct-2013, followed by a third aircraft in Feb-2014 and a fourth aircraft in Mar-2014. The 787s will be used to replace 777-200ERs, which are being leased from Singapore Airlines, on RBA's daily services to Melbourne and to London Heathrow via Dubai. Mr Mannion says RBA is still discussing with Boeing a delivery date for its fifth and final 787. The fifth aircraft is a growth aircraft and will be used on regional routes within Asia that are currently served with A320s. RBA is configuring its 787-8s with 255 seats, including 18 lie-flat business class seats.