Aircraft manufacturer Boeing received a $30 billion order for 102 enlarged Dreamliners from five customers, including United Continental Holdings and Singapore Airlines.
The aircraft is a new stretched model of the 787, called the 787-10, which the company hopes will compete with the new Airbus airplane, the A350. Boeing is also set to launch a new version of the 777 by the end of the year.
Following the orders announced this week, Boeing’s board has formally approved the launch of the 787-10, which is the third version of the Dreamliner (expected to be the last) but will not fly as far as its smaller versions. It will, however, be 25% more fuel-efficient than older aircraft with a similar range (14 hours of flying).
Deliveries are expected to start in 2018.
The new orders are forcing Boeing to consider plans to further increase production rates of the Dreamliner, which are expected to hit 10 planes a month by the end of this year. The achievement of higher targets, however, will mostly depend on the company’s ability to engage with its very complex supply chain.
In a further boost to the US-based aircraft manufacturer, Korean Air Lines placed an order for five 747-8 and six 777-300ER jets.
This morning, pilots of a 787 Dreamliner en route from Denver to Tokyo decided to land in Seattle after detecting an issue with an oil filter.
