Over 1 Billion Flyers, First Fatal Crash: All About The Boeing 787 Dreamliner

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner took off for its first flight on December 15, 2009, and has flown over a billion passengers. Since entering service in 2011, it had the enviable record of having no fatal accidents - but all that changed on Thursday, when an Air India flight with 242 people on board crashed in Ahmedabad. 

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a long-haul, wide-body aircraft used by airlines for intercontinental flights and its first commercial flight was on October 26, 2011, with an All Nippon Airways aircraft flying to Hong Kong from Tokyo Narita. 

The Boeing 787 series now has three models - with the Boeing 787-8 - the aircraft involved in Thursday's Ahmedabad crash - being the one that was introduced first and is the smallest. 

The 787-8 can carry 248 passengers and the 787-9, which also has a longer range, can accommodate 296 flyers. The 787-10, the largest of the three with the smallest range, can seat 336, news agency Reuters reported.

Boeing has sold more than 2,500 787s since the model was introduced and 47 have been bought by Air India. It has delivered 1,189 jets but has been facing production delays amid criticism over safety issues in its other models.

The twin-engined 787 comes with a choice of two types of engines - manufactured by GE Aerospace or Rolls-Royce. The engines on the plane that crashed on Thursday were supplied by GE, which has said it will support the investigation.

More Fuel Efficient

The creation of the 787 line marked a breakthrough in design, promising 20% greater fuel efficiency through the use of durable, lightweight composite materials and more electrical systems, the Reuters report said. 

Its size, range and efficiency made it ideal for opening new routes, bypassing hubs served by jumbos such as the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380, and helping drive both jets out of production. In response, Airbus developed the A350 composite jet.

The 787 also pioneered a new way of building planes, outsourcing much of the structure and components to companies around the world. The company later acknowledged, however, that it had gone too far with outsourcing. 

"Over 1 billion passengers - In under 14 years, the 787 Dreamliner has reached a milestone no other widebody in aviation history has achieved so quickly," Boeing says on its website, adding, "The 787 has redefined what global connection looks like, enabling reunions, discoveries, economic growth, and cultural exchange through the innovations that set the 787 Dreamliner apart."

After the crash on Thursday, the company said in a statement, "We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected."

In a statement later in the evening, Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company will support the investigation. 

"Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad. I have spoken with Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran to offer our full support, and a Boeing team stands ready to support the investigation led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau," he said. 

Earlier Incidents

There were 242 people aboard the plane - Air India flight 171 - which crashed in Ahmedabad and only one has reportedly survived. 

In July 2013, an Ethiopian Airlines 787, which had no passengers, caught fire on the ground at Heathrow airport in London. The incident was later linked to a short-circuit in an Emergency Locator Transmitter.

The same year, regulators temporarily grounded the global 787 fleet following the overheating of lithium batteries on two Japanese planes in Tokyo and Boston. Design changes were then made to fix this. 

In March last year, at least 50 people were injured when a 787 operated by the Chilean LATAM Airlines dropped abruptly in mid-flight from Sydney to Auckland. Investigators focused on an involuntary forward movement in the pilot seat.