Boeing set to unveil 787 amid order flurry
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Sun, 08 Jul 2007 18:15:00 GMT |
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By Bill RigbyNEW YORK (Reuters) - Boeing Co. prepared to unveil the first carbon-composite 787 Dreamliner on Sunday amid a flurry of 55 new orders for the lightweight, fuel efficient plane.European, Middle Eastern and Australian carriers trumpeted new orders at various Boeing events in Seattle, as the U.S. plane maker got ready to host 15,000 or so employees, customers and suppliers at its nearby Everett, Washington, plant.All are waiting for the first glimpse of the mid-sized, long-range jetliner, which is the company's first all-new plane in 12 years.The jet will not look radically new on the outside, but beneath the just-dried paint lies a structure 50 percent made up of carbon composite materials and another 15 percent titanium, making the plane much lighter and fuel efficient than existing jetliners of the same size.The use of fatigue-resistant and rust-free composite materials means air in the cabin can be more humid, leaving passengers less dried out and jetlagged after a long flight.The lighter weight and newly designed engines made by General Electric Co. and Britain's Rolls-Royce plc mean airlines will save about 20 percent on fuel costs.Airlines, which have struggled to turn a profit in the past few years, have jumped at the plane, and Boeing is rapidly closing in on 700 orders.On Saturday, German low-cost carrier Air Berlin ordered 25 787s, worth $4 billion at list prices, while Kuwait's Aviation Lease and Finance Co. ordered another 10, on top of the 12 it already had on order.That puts the number of firm orders for 787s at 677. That number is set to grow further as Australian carrier Qantas Airways Ltd. said on Friday it planned to order another 20 of the planes, on top of the 45 it has already agreed to buy.More customer announcements may crop up on Sunday as airlines look to cash in on the publicity surrounding Boeing's unveiling ceremony, which is set for 3:30 p.m. local time (2230 GMT).Boeing is beaming the event, to be hosted by former TV news anchor Tom Brokaw, live via satellite to what it hopes will be millions of viewers around the world.
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