British Airways Takes Delivery of First Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner

British Airways has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

The British Airways 787 Dreamliner can carry 214 passengers and is configured with 35 seats in Club World, 25 in World Traveller Plus and 154 seats in the World Traveller cabin.

The airline will operate the 787 from Heathrow to Toronto from 1 September 2013 and Heathrow to Newark from 1 October 2013.

"The 787 is a tremendous, innovative aircraft which sets new standards for environmental performance and operating efficiency and I'm sure British Airways' customers will love it," said Willie Walsh, chief executive officer of International Airlines Group (IAG), the company that owns British Airways. "The 787 will become a mainstay of the British Airways fleet over the next few years."

The aircraft is the first of 24 787s British Airways has on order. In addition, IAG is to convert 18 787 options to firm orders for British Airways, subject to shareholder agreement. Twelve of these will be 787-10s, meaning British Airways will operate the entire 787 family – the 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10.

"The delivery of the first of BA's 787s is an exciting milestone for Boeing and British Airways," said Todd Nelp, vice president of European Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The 787 is the most technologically advanced and fuel-efficient commercial jetliner in its class. Its improved lighting, bigger windows, larger overhead bins, lower cabin altitude and cleaner cabin air will offer BA's passengers an unparalleled flying experience."