US regulator awards amended type certificate to newest member of super-efficient aeroplane family
Deliveries scheduled to start in first half of 2018
EVERETT, Wash., Jan. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today the 787-10 Dreamliner received an amended type certificate (ATC) from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), clearing the airplane for commercial service.
The awarding of ATC caps a successful flight test program that began in March 2017 and involved three flight-test aeroplanes that accumulated about 900 test hours. Boeing’s flight test program team took the aeroplanes through a series of tests to confirm the aeroplane’s handling, systems and overall performance met internal requirements and certification standards to ensure safety of flight.
“We are pleased to have met the rigorous standards set forth by the FAA and are eager to bring the aeroplane to market for our valued customers,” said Brad Zaback, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “After years of design and testing, our team has proven the quality, safety and reliability of the newest member of the Dreamliner family and we look forward to seeing the aeroplane in service later this year.”
Other aviation regulatory agencies are expected to follow the FAA’s lead and certify the aeroplane before it enters service.
The 787 Dreamliner is a family of super-efficient aeroplanes with new passenger-pleasing features. As a stretch of the 787-9, the 787-10 retains over 95 percent commonality while adding seats and cargo capacity, setting a new benchmark for fuel efficiency and operating economics at 25 percent better fuel per seat and emissions than the aeroplanes it will replace. The aeroplane can fly 330 passengers, in a typical two-class configuration, up to 6,430 nautical miles (11,910 km).
To date, Boeing has over 170 orders for the 787-10 from nine customers worldwide. First delivery is expected to Singapore Airlines in the first half of 2018.
