Boeing Co.'s 787 Dreamliner will be delivered to All Nippon Airways on Sept. 25, three years behind schedule, after Friday's regulatory approvals of the world's first plastic-composite jet.
The aircraft will arrive in Tokyo for its initial customer on Sept. 28 after contractual delivery three days earlier, Boeing and All Nippon said in a statement. The plane received its so-called type certifications from U.S. and European governments, verifying that it complies with aviation standards, in a ceremony at Boeing's factory in Everett, Washington.
"Once our customers get this airplane, they'll forgive us for the fact we're a little late," Jim Albaugh, chief of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told customers and employees, a few hundred of whom gathered for the event.
The 787, Boeing's first new plane since the twin-aisle 777, is arriving late and billions of dollars over budget because of struggles with the new materials and production system the company developed for it.
"It has been tough, it has been long, but the result is there," said Patrick Goudou, executive director of the European Aviation Safety Agency.
The 250-seat Dreamliner uses lighter plastics and more electricity to let it fly farther with less fuel. That allows airlines to open new long-haul routes that wouldn't warrant service with jumbo jets.
The 787 "will play an important role in our international expansion strategy," All Nippon CEO Shinichiro Ito said. The carrier plans to use the jet on domestic routes initially and then begin flights to Europe with it next year.