Boeing has begun the final assembly of its B787-10 aircraft, ahead of its scheduled launch in 2018.

The aircraft is the largest of the Boeing Dreamliner family, and can accommodate up to 330 passengers in a two-class configuration.

Final assembly will see “all major sections joined, interior and exterior components completed, power turned on and production tests begin”, before an expected first flight in 2017.

Singapore Airlines is the launch customer for the B787-10, with a scheduled delivery of 2018.

The carrier has ordered 30 B787-10s, with Boeing having received a total of 154 orders for the aircraft across nine customers.

The aircraft will join the existing B787-8 and B787-9 variants – in total Boeing has received orders for over 1,200 Dreamliner aircraft, with nearly 500 having been delivered so far.

boeing.com