Virgin Atlantic plans to operate the new Dreamliner on its London Heathrow-Boston route from October 28.
With 2014 marking the 30th anniversary of its first trans-Atlantic flight, Virgin’s six times weekly ‘old England to New England’ service will be flown by a 787-9 dubbed ‘Birthday Girl.’
Alongside a host of passenger benefits, the latest Dreamliner brings substantial commercial and environmental benefits, stated Virgin Atlantic.
These include being 21% more fuel efficient on a per flight basis than an equivalent sized aircraft, as well as having a 60% smaller noise footprint than aircraft of a comparable size, the airline said.
After the Boston launch, Virgin intends to deploy its Dreamliners on other key London to US East Coast routes, with subsequent services between Heathrow and Washington, Newark and JFK scheduled to start in the following five months.
Chief executive, Craig Kreeger, commented: “The 787-9 will represent over half of our fleet by 2018 which demonstrates our commitment to the Dreamliner as the centerpiece of our future fleet.”
The airline will be the first European carrier to take delivery of Boeing’s new Dreamliner, with the first aircraft scheduled to be delivered in late September.
