Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has introduced its second Boeing 787 Dreamliner into commercial service, providing capital-to-capital service between Washington, DC and Abu Dhabi.
The Boeing 787-9 departed Abu Dhabi at 11:30 a.m. yesterday, as flight EY131 to Washington, DC. The flight arrived at approximately 6:45 p.m.. The return service from Washington to Abu Dhabi departs as EY 130 at 10:50 p.m. with a scheduled arrival time of 7:45 p.m. the following evening.
A welcome ceremony was held at the arrival gate at Washington's Dulles International Airport, IAD, to mark the occasion, attended by Christopher Browne, Vice President and Airport Manager – Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Suzanne Alipourian, Area Manager for Americas – Etihad Airways, Abdalla AlRaeesi, Airport Station Manager at IAD – Etihad Airways, Rashed Saif Al Shabi, Vice President of Mid Atlantic – Etihad Airways and cabin crew members from Etihad Airways.
Etihad Airways revolutionary new B787 interiors feature 8 First Suites, 28 Business Studios and 199 Economy Smart Seats, offering superior levels of comfort, entertainment and in-flight connectivity. On-board decor and lighting has been inspired by contemporary modern Arabian design, complementing the new ‘Facets of Abu Dhabi' design identity recently introduced by the airline.
Etihad Airways' order for two variants of the B787 (-9 and -10), is one of the largest for the type, totalling 71 aircraft. The airline's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner went into commercial on February 1st, 2015, flying between Abu Dhabi and Dusseldorf, Germany. The airline will place additional 787 aircraft on other key medium and long-haul routes including Mumbai, Moscow and Brisbane, with more destinations being added as the airline takes delivery of more of the type. The airline will also begin taking delivery of B787s in a two-class configuration from 2016.
The wide-body Boeing 787-9 is a stretched version of the advanced medium to long-range twin engine B787-8, with a range of up to 8,300 nautical miles and a cruising speed of Mach 0.85. It is 206 feet in length and has a wingspan of 197 feet.
The lightweight composite materials used in the aircraft mean that the B787 uses up to 30% less fuel than other aircraft in its category and as a result produces a comparable reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. The B787 also uses a number of new technologies to ensure that the aircraft's noise footprint is more that 60% smaller than other aircraft of its size.
Etihad Airways introduced daily non-stop flights between Abu Dhabi and Washington, DC in March 2013, creating the first direct air link between the two capitals.