Global General

Boeing Dreamliner makes first overseas landing

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-07-19 15:38

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft taxis on the runway at Farnborough airport in Farnborough, southern England July 18, 2010. The bi-annual Farnborough International Airshow will begin on Monday. [Agencies]

FARNBOROUGH, England - Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner touched down in Britain on Sunday on its first trip outside the United States, thrilling hordes of eager planespotters who came out to see the breakthrough carbon-composite plane.

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It is expected to take the spotlight at next week's Farnborough Airshow and was the fevered talk of British TV and Twitter in the moments leading up to its landing.

Last-minute technical issues had raised some fears in recent weeks that the plane might not make its long-anticipated trip to the show, but the plane arrived doing a flyover with a "tilt and wave" before landing.

The aircraft promises greater fuel efficiency, and its lightweight materials and innovative design have captured the imagination of the industry.

Dozens of journalists and throngs of flight enthusiasts assembled near the runway to watch the landing.

Flight testing has been going more slowly than expected after the twin-engined passenger plane made an inaugural flight last December -- which itself was the subject of frenetic global media coverage.

Deliveries of the long-range passenger jet to the first Japanese customer have been delayed by more than two years due to production problems.

Boeing executives have said they aim to deliver the first Dreamliner to Japan's All Nippon Airways by the end of 2010, but they have cautioned that the delivery could be delayed to early 2011.