SAINT-DENIS, Reunion Island,
May 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/
-- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Air Austral are celebrating the
delivery of the carrier's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The newest addition to the Air Austral long-haul fleet will touch
down at Roland Garros Airport
in Saint-Marie, Reunion Island tomorrow following a 10,500-mile (16,898-kilometre) delivery
flight originating from the Boeing Everett Delivery Center in
Everett, Wash.
"The state of the art 787 Dreamliner's unique capabilities
enable us to launch the Dzaoudi to Paris
Charles de Gaulle route," said Marie-Joseph Male, executive chairman and chief
executive officer, Air Austral. "This airplane is the most advanced
in the world, with superior operating economics all while providing
our passengers an unrivalled on-board experience."
The 787 is a family of technologically advanced, super-efficient
airplanes with new passenger-pleasing features. In addition to
bringing big-jet ranges to midsize airplanes, the 787 will provide
Air Austral with unmatched fuel efficiency and environmental
performance, using 20 to 25 percent less fuel and with 20 to 25
percent fewer emissions than the airplanes it replaces.
"It is an honor to deliver the first 787 Dreamliner to Air
Austral, a first for a French operator," said Van Rex Gallard, vice president sales
Latin America, Caribbean and Africa, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The
Dreamliner will complement Air Austral's growing long-haul fleet,
made up of 777s and now a 787, as well as its trans-continental
network to Europe and Asia."
Air Austral announced an order for two 787-8 Dreamliners in
2015. Air Austral was founded in 1975 and currently operates a
fleet of nine aircraft to over 10 destinations worldwide.
Contact:
Keelan Morris
International Communications
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
+ 44(0)208 235 5664
keelan.j.morris@boeing.com
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SOURCE Boeing