Hundreds of people lined Auckland Airport roads today to see Boeing's first 787 Dreamliner touch down. This is the first flight by the Dreamliner to land in the Southern hemisphere.The 787 Dreamliner is three years behind schedule and costing $250 million each, Air New Zealand has 8 of the 787-9 version which will be joining the Air New Zealand fleet from 2014.
Boeing is flying the first Dreamliner it made around the world to demonstrate it to clients. The Dreamliner only entered commercial service last month with All Nippon Airways. Within a fortnight of entering service it suffered technical glitches with its undercarriage.
The Dreamliner is a revolutionary lightweight aircraft built mainly of carbon composites designed to save fuel. Air New Zealand's Chief Pilot Captain David Morgan was aboard the flight out of Seattle which touched down in Auckland at 10am. Also aboard were 30 Boeing staff testing the aircraft's performance on the non-stop 13 hours 40 minute flight.
The aircraft flew low of Auckland for the public to see while cars lined prime vantage spots around the airport for the army of plane-spotters out.
The plane will fly to Sydney on Tuesday next week.
