Boeing 787-9 to make first China flight

Boeing's newest medium-sized 787-9 Dreamliner is scheduled to make its first flight into China in November, operated by Air New Zealand on its Shanghai-Auckland route, Air New Zealand's China office said on Monday in a statement. Air New Zealand's first Boeing 787-9 aircraft was revealed at Boeing's Everett factory near Seattle on Monday. The aircraft will join the Air New Zealand fleet in mid-2014. The airline is the global launch customer for the 787-9, which is 20 percent more fuel efficient than the aircraft it will replace. The 787-9 will operate the Auckland-Perth route as of Oct. 15, and fly to both Tokyo and Shanghai from November, according to the statement.