A Miami businessman paid $34,000 for a ticket on the first commercial flight of the Boeing 787 from Tokyo to Hong Kong. The Boeing 787, popularly known as the Dreamliner, is a twin-engine, long-range jet airliner designed by Boeing Commercial Aeroplanes. It is the world's first airliner with an airframe made primarily of composite materials.
The 787 was meant to be 20% more fuel efficient than the Boeing 767 it was to replace. The Dreamliner first flew on December 15, 2009, and commenced commercial service with All Nippon Airways on October 26, 2011. As of July 2018, 930 Boeing 787 planes had been delivered to 87 carriers, with United carriers being the largest.Since its debut, the Boeing 787 has been troubled by a variety of challenges, including battery fires and problems with its Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.
All Nippon Airways, the 787's initial client, experienced a spate aircraft battery fires on its Dreamliner fleet in 2013. As a result, the airline's 50 787s were all grounded for three months. Boeing began deploying 787s with new batteries that were meant to be more reliable in 2016. However, the replacement batteries had issues as well, and All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines grounded their entire 787 fleets for several months in 2017.Despite its problems, the 787 remains a popular aircraft, with carriers anxious to add it to their fleets. A Miami businessman bought $34,000 for a ticket for the first commercial flight of the 787 from Tokyo to Hong Kong in July 2018.
The flight, scheduled for October 26, 2018, is likely to be fully booked.