First Singapore 787-10 rolls off the line

Singapore Airlines’ first Boeing 787-10 has rolled out at the US manufacturing giant’s facility in North Charleston, South Carolina, as heads towards delivery in 2018. The Singaporean carrier is the launch customer for the biggest version of the Dreamliner and has 30 aircraft on firm order with an intent to take 19 more. Boeing said the aircraft will now be painted in the Singapore livery and will  begin its system checks, fueling, and engine runs. Singapore is due to take delivery of the first aircraft in the first half of 2018 and will operate it on medium-haul routes. The 787-10 can carry more passengers but does not have the range of the popular  787-9. It is an 18-foot (5.5m) stretch of  the 787-9  and can carry up to 330 passengers in a two-class configuration up to 6,430 nautical miles (11,908kms) with what the manufacturer says is 25 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency per seat. "Boeing is excited to have finished final assembly of the first 787-10 Dreamliner for Singapore Airlines," Boeing Commercial Airplanes senior vice president Asia Pacific & India Sales Dinesh Keskar, said in a statement. "With its unprecedented efficiency, greater capacity and the Dreamliner's known preferred passenger experience, the 787-10 will be an important part of the airline's future fleet." The 787-10 started flight testing in April this year and there are 177 orders for the plane. The first 787 entered service in 2011 and Boeing estimates it has  flown more than 190 million people on more than 560 unique routes around the world, saving an estimated 18 billion pounds (8.16bn kilos) of fuel. The composite plane offers a higher cabin pressure and humidity and bigger windows to boost passenger comfort. Qantas plans to use the 787-9 to fly non-stop between Perth, Australia, and London and will pick up its first plane in mid-October.