Singapore Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-10 from the manufacturer’s production facility in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Singapore Airlines is the world’s first airline to take delivery of Boeing’s newest aircraft variant, which is due to enter commercial service next month.

The aircraft – the first of 49 787-10s that SIA has on firm order – was formally delivered at a ceremony on March 25 in North Charleston attended by the airline's CEO Goh Choon Phong. Also in attendance were Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Mr Kevin McAllister, Rolls-Royce Director Customers and Services – Civil Aerospace Mr Dominic Horwood, some three thousand Boeing employees as well as invited guests.

“It is an honour for us to be the world’s first airline to take delivery of this amazing aircraft. The 787-10 is indeed a magnificent piece of engineering and truly a work of art. It will be an important element in our overall growth strategy, enabling us to expand our network and strengthen our operations,” said Goh at the delivery event.

“The delivery of the first 787-10 underscores our longstanding commitment to operate a modern fleet, and marks the start of a new chapter in our shared story with Boeing.”

McAllister added: “This is a big day for all of us at Boeing and for our global supplier partners. We are thrilled to deliver the first 787-10 Dreamliner to Singapore Airlines, one of the world’s leading carriers. And we are honoured by Singapore Airlines’ partnership and trust, as reflected by their repeated orders for the Dreamliner.”

Singapore Airlines' 787-10s will be used for flights up to eight hours. Osaka and Perth will be the first scheduled destinations to be served by the new aircraft, from May 2018. Prior to the introduction of these services, the aircraft will be operated on selected flights to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur for crew training purposes.

The 787-10s will feature the airline’s new regional cabin products, configured with 337 seats in two classes, featuring 36 Business Class and 301 Economy Class seats. The new products will be unveiled at an arrival ceremony in Singapore today (March 28 ), after the aircraft’s delivery flight from North Charleston via Osaka. The guest of honour for this event will be Khaw Boon Wan, Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport.

In addition to the 49 firm-ordered 787-10s, Singapore Airlines has a firm order with Boeing for 20 777-9s, which are due for delivery from the 2021/22 financial year. - TradeArabia News Service