B-2738 Hainan Airlines Boeing 787-8
This airliner taking off from Toronto Pearson International Airport is just a toddler. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, registered B-2738, belonging to Hainan Airlines, took its first flight on February 11, 2014. She was delivered to Hainan Airlines of China in June of that same year.
This 787-8 is configured with 36 flat bed business class seats and 177 standard economy seats. A typical week sees this workhorse visit airports like: Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Beiging Capital (PEK), Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN), Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA), shenzhen Bao’an (SZX), Chengdu Shuangliu (CTU) and Xiamen Gaoqi (XMN).
Hainan Airlines
The airline was established in 1989 as Hainan Province Airlines. In 1998, Hainan purchased 25% of their home airport, Kaikou Meilan International. Currently, they are the fourth largest airline in China.
Headquartered in Haikou, Hainan, China, the airline has a fleet of 164 with a healthy number of planes on order. The current fleet consists of Airbus A330-200 and A330-300s, Boeing 737-700, 737-800, 767-300ER and 787-8’s. On order are Boeing 787-9s and Comac C919s.
A note on Comac. This is a new company out of China that hopes to compete with Boeing and Airbus. The Comac C919 is a twin engine narrow body jet, similar to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. The first flight for this aircraft is projected for the summer of 2016 and there are hopes for introduction into the market by 2019. Comac stands for Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China.
Hainan Airlines boasts 110 destinations. In North America, they fly to Toronto, Seattle, Chicago and Boston. Flights to Calgary, Alberta are to start at the end of June, 2016.
Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Production on Boeing’s next big thing started in 2007 and the first flight was two years later. The first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner introduced to the market went to All Nippon Airways in October, 2011. Maximum seating on one of these mid-size airliners is 381, much tighter than the one pictured in this article.
The 787-8 is 186 feet in length and has a wingspan of 197 feet. The height at the tail is 56 feet. Maximum speed is 956 kilometres per hour. Flight range maxs out at 13,600 kilometres.
This airliner and many more are listed at our Airliner Directory. Here you will find lots of great images of a growing number of airplanes, along with accompanying info.
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