American Airlines' Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet continues to grow as the carrier welcomed the delivery of its first plane of the year on Friday. The aircraft comes after Boeing resumed deliveries of the widebody jet in August 2022 following a 15-month hiatus and hit yet another road bump in late February but was allowed to restart deliveries less than three weeks later.
Between the 787-8 and -9 variants, the Fort Worth-based carrier operates several planes to support its global network. Last fall, American received the delivery of its 50th Dreamliner after first integrating the aircraft type into its fleet in 2015.
A brand-new jet
The airline's newest Boeing 787 Dreamliner, registered as N885BP, is the smallest variant, a 787-8, according to a tweet from Ethan Klapper, the Manager of Operations Communications at American Airlines.
The aircraft flew from Charleston, SC, to Victorville, CA, on Friday. According to data from FlightRadar24.com, the plane flew as American Airlines flight 9824 and departed at 15:36 EST (Eastern Standard Time). After a nearly 5 hour journey, the Dreamliner landed in Victorville at 17:22 PDT (Pacific Standard Time).
Cabin customization
In Victorville, N885BP will likely undergo cabin customization before it begins commercial service in the coming weeks. American said its 787s comfortably carry more than 200 passengers with worldwide destinations. The -8 is configured to seat 234 passengers, with 20 Flagship Business seats, 28 in premium economy, 48 in Main Cabin Extra, and 138 in the Main Cabin.
The Flagship business class seats are fully lie-flat with a width of 21 inches. Premium economy seats feature a pitch of 38 inches with a width of 18.5 inches. In Main Cabin Extra, passengers can enjoy a seat pitch of 35-36 inches while the width is 17.2 inches. And in the Main Cabin, the seats have a pitch of 31 inches and a width of 16.2-18.1 inches, depending on where they are situated in the cabin.
American's 787s also feature high-speed WiFi and seatback video screens with inflight entertainment at every seat. In addition, passengers can charge their electronic devices with AC and USB power ports between the seats. The carrier primarily uses the -8 and -9 on international and long-haul routes but also uses the aircraft occasionally on some hub-to-hub domestic flights, such as Phoenix and Los Angeles to Philadelphia or Miami.
The struggles of the Dreamliner
The delivery of N885BP comes less than a month after Boeing temporarily stopped 787 deliveries in February after an issue related to the aircraft's fuselage. The company said an analysis error was discovered by its supplier that sparked concern regarding the forward pressure bulkhead. Boeing notified the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and paused deliveries as a result.
The company also said that the FAA would need to be completely satisfied with the issue until any deliveries could be resumed, but remained confident that the problem did not pose any concerns for the safety of flight of aircraft currently in service. Last week, the agency gave Boeing the approval to begin deliveries once again.
N885BP joins 32 other 787-8 Dreamliners in American's fleet. The carrier reportedly has four more -8s on order and 30 more -9s.
Source: FlightRadar24.com