Poland's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft lands in Warsaw

Dreamliner lands at Warsaw's Chopin airport: photo - PAP/Jacek Turczyk

The aircraft, which Poland's national carrier LOT hopes will give a boost to its long-haul schedule and will be eventually be flying on the potentially lucrative Warsaw to Beijing route, will be officially welcomed to Poland by First Lady Anna Komorowska this afternoon.

The plane, flight number 9787, was flown on its nine and a half hour journey from the Dreamliner base near Seattle by four Polish pilots, Jerzy Makula, Marian Wieczorek, Jarosław Zimmer and Krzysztof Lenartowicz and two American instructors.

The plane's touchdown was witnessed by hundreds of aviation enthusiasts in the observation area at Warsaw's international airport.

Canon-fire and applause greeted the plane as it landed on the tarmac.

LOT is the first airline in Europe to have the Dreamliners, which can take up to 290 passengers, in its fleet.

Its first commercial flight will be from Warsaw to Prague in the Czech Republic on 14 December: then a month late it will be travelling to eight cities in Europe, including Vienna, Munich, Frankfurt, Hanover, Kiev, Budapest and Brussels.

In January, Poland will take delivery of the second Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more planes will be added to the fleet in February and March.

The final three 787s will arrive in Poland in 2014 and 2015.

Long haul flights begin on January 16 to Chicago and on March 3 the Dreamliner begins flights to Beijing.

According to Boeing, Dreamliners use 20 percent less fuel than 767s and are quiter than aircraft of similar size. (pg)

source: IAR