Boeing 787 Dreamliner arrives Thailand
BANGKOK, Feb 9 - The eco-friendly Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft arrived Thailand on Thursday morning and the test-run flight is to take off Friday from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the northern province of Chiang Mai.
Boeing launched its latest aircraft, flying from Seattle in the United States, as a new innovation focusing on energy savings.
The morning test-run flight will carry VIP guests from Bangkok to Chiang Mai International Airport, while in the afternoon Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, her cabinet, as well as Thai Airways International (THAI) President Piyasvasti Amranand will reboard to fly back to the capital.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner can support up to 250 passengers and fly as far as 14,200-15,200 kilometres. Compared to other medium-sized aircraft, this aircraft can reduce fuel use by up to 20 per cent per flight.
Eight-hundred and twenty-one Dreamliners were ordered by 57 customers worldwide at a total of US$167 billion.
THAI will lease eight 787s, to be delivered in 2014. (MCOT online news)