The inaugural commercial flight of a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport finally took flight for Tokyo on Tuesday more than 24 hours behind schedule.
The first All Nippon Airways Dreamliner flight left Sea-Tac at 1:54 p.m. Tuesday, some 24 hours and 39 minutes behind the original inaugural schedule. The first commercial 787 flight to leave Sea-Tac was not the plane originally set to depart Monday, but a plane that flew in from Tokyo on Tuesday morning for the regular Tuesday departure.
The Dreamliner that arrived Monday morning but didn’t take off Monday afternoon for the scheduled return trip to Tokyo because of a faulty cooling system valve, eventually took off for Japan at 2:23 p.m. Tuesday.
All Nippon had provided inaugural flight customers with meal and hotel vouchers while crews repaired the aircraft.
The ANA Dreamliner flights are the only 787 service to the U.S. with the exception of a Japan Airlines flight between Tokyo and Boston.
The Dreamliners delivered to ANA were built in Boeing’s Everett plant. The planes are revolutionary because of their carbon fiber composite bodies and wings.
The planes are reportedly some 20 percent more fuel efficient than previous generation twin-engine wide-bodied aircraft their size.
john.gillie@thenewstribune.com
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