China Southern Airlines announced the purchase of six Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft for its subsidiary, Xiamen Airlines. The carrier has already ordered 10 787-8 Dreamliners for itself.
The six new aircraft are scheduled to land in China between 2014 and 2015. However, delays are possible, given that Boeing has put back delivery of the aircraft to launch customer ANA several times.
The latest announcement from Boeing is for the third quarter of this year, citing a series of technical issues, including a fire onboard a test flight (see story here) as cause for the hold up. With pilot training sessions finally underway, it seems that arrival of the long-awaited Dreamliner will no longer remain in the realm of fantasy (see story here).
For images of the aircraft interior mock-up, click here. For more information, visit www.boeing.com or www.cs-air.com
Alisha Haridasani