New Boeing 787 Dreamliner lands at Vancouver airport
The controversial jet touched down just before 10 a.m. PT on Monday en route from Japan
The controversial Boeing 787 Dreamliner commercial airliner made its first scheduled landing at Vancouver's International Airport Monday morning.
The state-of-the-art aircraft, carrying 186 passengers and operated by Japan Airlines, touched down just before 10 a.m. PT.
The flight, which originated in Tokyo, and took nine hours, 45 minutes to Vancouver, was the first of what will be a daily route between Vancouver and Narita, Japan starting March 30.
The high-tech jet has been touted as the future of commercial aviation. Its lightweight carbon fibre skin allows for bigger windows with electronic dimming instead of pull-down shades.
It also has more comfortable air pressure and higher humidity to prevent dry skin and throats, and is 20 per cent more fuel-efficient than its rival airliners.
"The Boeing 787 is a state-of-the-art plane, featuring mostly electrical flight systems, which produce much less noise," said Japan Airlines general manager Jerry Miyauchi.
Since its inception, however, the Dreamliner has been plagued by years of launch and delivery delays as well as technical malfunctions.
In November, Boeing had to warn 15 airlines not to fly the new jets at high-altitudes within 50 nautical miles of thunderstorms because of engine icing problems.
In July, a parked 787 caught fire at Britain's Heathrow Airport because of faulty emergency locator transmitters.
Months earlier, several fuel leaks were reported in 787s and all of the new jets were grounded after the battery beneath the cockpit were found to be overheating.
These mishaps resulted in a comprehensive review of the plane's safety by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.