The first of Vietnam Airlines’ new Boeing B787-9 Dreamliners has rolled out of Boeing’s paint shop at Paine Field in Washington, US, providing a first full look at the national carrier’s new aircraft in its distinctive updated blue and gold lotus livery.

Coinciding with a major fleet upgrade - including a total of 19 B787-9s and 14 Airbus A350-900 XWBs - Vietnam Airlines’ brand new livery is part of a comprehensive overhaul of the airline’s corporate identity and brand image.

Resplendent in its newly painted livery, Vietnam Airlines’ first new B787-9 aircraft is now undergoing pre-flight testing at Boeing’s Everett facility.

Vietnam Airlines will be the first airline in Asia to operate both Boeing and Airbus’ latest next-generation aircraft at the same time.

The SkyTeam member will also be the first airline to operate the new B787-9 Dreamliner nonstop between Southeast Asia and Europe, with Heathrow becoming the first international destination on the Vietnam Airlines network to be served by the new aircraft.

Frequencies will rise from four flights to five or six flights per week between Heathrow and Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City following the deployment of the Dreamliners, before increasing to a daily service for summer 2016.

The B787-9 Dreamliner is the latest extension to Boeing’s super-efficient 787 family.

The new aircraft can fly farther, and with more passengers and more cargo, than the B787-8 - but with the same exceptional environmental performance: 20 per cent less fuel usage and 20 per cent fewer emissions than the aircraft it will replace.