Monday, July 13, 2015

British Airways announces Delhi as the first destination for 787-9 service

British Airways has named Heathrow-Delhi as its first Boeing 787-9 route, from Oct. 25, and is moving ahead with plans to revamp its Boeing 747 fleet.

The London-based carrier already operates eight of the smaller 787-8 variant and is due to take its first 787-9 in September. This initial aircraft will be deployed 5X-weekly between Heathrow and Delhi.

“Abu Dhabi/Muscat (a double sector flight) and Kuala Lumpur will be the next destinations on British Airways’ network to receive the 787-9 after Delhi. Details of the first official flight to the destinations will be issued in due course,” BA said in a statement. “With a total of 42 787s destined to join British Airways, the aircraft is to become the mainstay of the airline’s fleet.”

The 787-9 delivery will also mark the launch of BA’s “First” premium cabin on the 787, designed by London agency Forpeople and BA’s in-house teams. Joining BA’s World Traveller (economy), World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and Club World (business class) cabins, the 787-9 First cabin will be configured with eight seats, more storage, a device charging area, as well as improved inflight entertainment and seat controls.

As reported by ATW in September 2014, BA is also modernizing 18 of its 747s, with the first slated to enter service in September. These aircraft will operate selected flights to New York JFK, Chicago, Lagos, Dubai, Boston, Riyadh and Kuwait, with further routes added in summer 2016.

“In response to customer demand, the airline is changing the aircraft’s configuration and adding an additional 16 Club World seats. The jumbos’ cabins are also receiving a cabin face-lift and a new Panasonic eX3 next generation inflight entertainment system,” BA said.

(Victoria Moores - ATWOnline news)

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