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| Travel
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| Boeing unveils Dreamliner plane |
| US plane manufacturer Boeing has unveiled its 787 Dreamliner - the firm's first all-new jet since 1995
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 9-July-2007
10:28:28 AM |
| It is the only big commercial aircraft made mostly of carbon fibre rather than aluminium and is billed as the most environmentally friendly ever built.
Boeing says the 787 is much more fuel efficient than its competitors and produces 20% less CO2.
The firm says it already has more than 600 orders. The first test flight is expected in August or September.
Sunday was chosen for Dreamliner's premiere as it is 8 July, or, in the American date style, 07/08/07.
Compare Boeing and Airbus planes
An audience of thousands were in attendance in Everett, Washington state near Seattle as the aircraft was presented to the media.
"Our journey began some six years ago when we knew we were on the cusp of delivering valuable new technologies," Mike Bair, who heads the 787 programme, told the crowd.
Competition
Hours earlier, Boeing said it had received 35 new orders for the plane.
The orders, from Air Berlin and a Kuwaiti leasing firm, mean Boeing now has 677 orders from 47 customers for the midsize, long-haul jet.
It is due to go into service next year, with Japan's All Nippon Airways set to be the first recipient as a reward for placing orders for 50 of the aircraft.
Carbon fibre, which is lighter and more durable than aluminium, makes up about 50% of the plane's structure, including the fuselage and wings.
This is intended to make the 787 fuel efficient. Boeing says the composite materials also mean air in the cabin can be more humid, leaving long-haul passengers less jetlagged.
Envrionment
Phil Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust, a non-partisan US group, told the BBC that the 787 was a "major step forward" but not the sole solution to aviation emissions.
Some environmentalists say the lower operating costs will make air travel cheaper and simply encourage more people to fly.
The Dreamliner is Boeing's first all-new plane since the 777, which began flying in 1995.
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