The world’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be delivered to launch carrier All Nippon Airlines (ANA) on September 26.

“The airplane is ready. ANA is ready. And, Boeing is ready,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “This airplane begins a new chapter in aviation history.”

ANA’s airplane will arrive in Tokyo on Sept. 28, following a Sept. 27 departure from Everett, Wash., and will be greeted by ANA employees, media and Japanese partners.

Shinichiro Ito, president and CEO of ANA Group, said, “As launch customer, we are delighted to be taking delivery of our first 787 Dreamliner. This aircraft will enable us to offer new standards of service and comfort to our passengers and will play an important role in our international expansion strategy as we seek to become Asia’s number one airline.”

As the launch customer of the new-generation aircraft, ANA plans to operate three weekly flights on the Tokyo Haneda-Frankfurt route from January before moving to daily flights from February.
After receiving the first B787 delivery in September, 12 more will be collected by the end of March.

These will be followed by another eight in the next fiscal year through March 2013. ANA, which has played a key role in guiding the design of the Dreamliner, has ordered 50 of the aircraft.

ANA plans to put the B787 into temporary service on its Haneda-Beijing route from December, with flights scheduled about once a week.

ANA will also start using B787s on domestic flights linking Haneda and the western cities of Okayama and Hiroshima from Nov. 1. All scheduled flight services are pending approval from Japan’s transport authorities.

As previously announced, ANA will run a special charter flight between Tokyo’s Narita airport and Hong Kong Oct. 26-27 in the world’s first commercial flight on the Dreamliner. ANA also plans excursion flights departing from and landing at Narita Oct. 28-29.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an all-new commercial jetliner that brings new efficiencies to airlines and delivers superior comfort to passengers. The airplane features the industry’s largest windows, a lower cabin altitude and cleaner air. These features combine to allow passengers to arrive at their destinations more refreshed.