WASHINGTON, December 15 (RIA Novosti) - Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner landed in Seattle after making a successful maiden flight that lasted over three hours.
More than 12,000 people, including Boeing employees and journalists, witnessed Tuesday's test flight, delayed for two years, during which the Dreamliner flew at an altitude of some 4,500 meters (15,000 feet) and at a speed of 180 knots (333 kilometers per hour).
The flight was the first in an extensive program of flight tests by six new aircraft.
"Today is truly a proud and historic day for the global team who has worked tirelessly to design and build the 787 Dreamliner - the first all-new jet airplane of the 21st century," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program.
"We look forward to the upcoming flight test program and soon bringing groundbreaking levels of efficiency, technology and passenger comfort to airlines and the flying public," he said as quoted on the Boeing website.
Over 50% of the wide-body, twin-engine Dreamliner's weight is made of light composite materials - carbon fiber reinforced plastics.
It can carry up to 330 passengers to distances of up to 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles) and is expected to be some 20% more fuel-efficient than similarly sized airplanes.
Boeing, which launched the Dreamliner program in 2004, says on its website 55 customers worldwide have ordered 840 787s. Russia's Aeroflot intends to buy 22 new jetliners. First deliveries are expected to start in late 2010.
