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ANA Unveils Special 787 Livery, Interior, Handing Over Ceremony

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All Nippon Airways' (ANA) first Boeing 787 Dreamliner has completed its maiden revenue service from Tokyo's Narita Airport, arriving at Hong Kong's Chep Lap Kok to overcast skies.

 

The special charter service departed from Narita Airport at approximately 12:40 local on runway 34L, landing in Hong Kong at approximately 15:52 local time on runway 7L, piloted by Yuichi Marui, ANA director of 787 operations and Masami Tsukamoto, who was the first ANA pilot to fly the 787 in May 2010.

 

The aircraft, powered by twin Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, is Boeing's Airplane Eight, registered JA801A, and flying a special charter as All Nippon Flight 7871 carrying 240 passengers made up of airline and Boeing officials, as well as members of the media and revenue passengers.

 

The aircraft was fitted out in the carrier's domestic and short-haul international configuration with 264 seats - 12 in business class and 252 in economy class.

 

This first revenue flight comes after 40 months of delays, ushering in a new era of service with majority-carbon fibre commercial aircraft.

 

The 787 arrives more than 16 years after the introduction of the Boeing 777-200, with United Airlines, the airframer's last all-new jet.

 

"We have been through hard times in the development of the Boeing 787," said ANA president and CEO, Shinichiro Ito at a press conference ahead of the flight. "But we believe ANA has acquired great growth in being the first airline to fly the airplane."

 

Airplane Eight was contractually delivered to ANA on 25 September and arrived at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on 27 September, kicking off a month's worth of training activities for flight and cabin crews ahead of today's first service.

 

Scheduled service begins on 1 November between Tokyo-Haneda and Okayama and Tokyo-Haneda and Hiroshima. International regional service from Haneda to Beijing will begin in December and a long haul flight from Tokyo to Frankfurt, Germany, is scheduled to begin on 21 January 2012, with a 158-seat two-class configuration.

 

The Japan to Germany route will introduce the Rolls-Royce Package B upgrade of Trent 1000 engine to ANA's 787 fleet, bringing specific fuel consumption for the engine within 1% of its initial specification.

 

ANA has ordered 55 787s, two of which have been delivered. The airline hopes to have 11 aircraft in service by the end of the current financial year on 31 March 2012 and another nine by the end of the next financial year.

 

The carrier, which became launch customer for the type in April 2004, is expected to receive all 55, including 15 787-9s, by the end of its 2017 financial year on 31 March 2018.

 

Source

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A step forward on Dreamliner flight

By Andrew Stevens, CNN

October 26, 2011 -- Updated 1942 GMT (0342 HKT)

 

Hong Kong (CNN) -- I am something of a plane spotter. I can spend hours at an airport watching planes taking off. Yes, I know that sounds a little bit sad but when I was told about this assignment to cover the maiden 787 passenger flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong I got pretty excited.

With that it mind here are my thoughts on Boeing's claims for the 787 "passenger experience."

Larger windows

Boeing says: The larger windows allow for spacious views making every seat a window seat. Passengers can individually adjust their environment by electronically darkening or lightening with a push of a button, blocking the light but not the view.

Stevens: This is true. For me, it's perhaps the best thing about the 787.

The windows are about 30 percent bigger than the aircraft's predecessor, the 767. They are also much higher so you don't need to hunch over to see the view.

You really do get the feeling that you are seeing a lot more of the world passing by.

Dreamliner's first flight -- three years late

They also have a manually operated switch that can tint the glass to a darker shade which stops light getting in but still allows you to see out. It takes a little time for the full change in the color of the glass but preferable to the snap open/shut blinds.

On board the Dreamliner Dreamliner lands in Hong Kong

Cabin altitude

Boeing: Cabin is pressurized at a much lower altitude so passengers will experience fewer headaches and less dizziness and fatigue.

Stevens: Because the plane's wings and fuselage are made of composites -- basically a high-tech plastic reinforced with carbon fiber which is lighter than traditional aluminum -- humidity and cabin pressure can be increased, which makes the plane's environment closer to a ground-like environment.

It's pressurized to 6,000 feet rather than the normal 8,000 feet of other comparable size aircraft.

On our four-hour flight it didn't really make a difference to me. Long haul is where it will be noticeable, although some passengers on our flight said it felt fresher.

Cleaner air

Boeing: Cabin air is much cleaner than today's commercial airlines. Fresh air comes from scoops on the side of the fuselage rather than coming from the engines. Along with the standard filtration system the 787 has additional systems that together can help to reduce throat nose and eye irritation for passengers.

Stevens: I can only take their word for it. See above.

Seven reasons the Dreamliner is special

Smoother ride

Boeing: Passengers benefit from smoother ride technology that senses turbulence and counteracts it. Travelers can enjoy a more comfortable flight with significantly less motion sickness.

Stevens: Interesting one. A passenger just in front of me for whom flying is his "passion" told me that the conditions were perfect for flying -- no turbulence.

But we did encounter some minor jolts coming in to land at Hong Kong.

ANA's first officer on our flight, who had been seconded to Boeing for four years, told a pre-flight news conference in Tokyo that the aircraft had weather/turbulence censors which activated changes in the wing shape to help combat any rough ride.

A Boeing spokesman told me the plane was able to flatten out extreme up and down movements caused by turbulence.

But because it was such a good day for flying, it apparently wasn't put to the test.

Architecture

Boeing: From welcoming entryways to larger windows to vaulted ceilings to blue-sky effects the plane's features ensure that passengers will be enjoying the flight. And since the plane was designed around the passenger there will finally be enough room, as the pilot says, to move about the cabin.

Stevens: In economy, where I was, it was still a struggle to get past anyone in the aisle and impossible if the drinks trolley was doing the rounds.

The seats appeared to be pretty standard economy class style. But one of the first things I noticed when I got on was that the ceiling of the fuselage was higher.

The effect was also enhanced by sophisticated lighting from the LED system and the fact that the overhead luggage bins were less obtrusive. So sitting down and looking up gave the impression of more space.

Larger bins

Boeing: With a unique cabin architecture and design passengers have ample room to easily stow at least one large roll aboard bag in an overhead compartment close to their seat.

Stevens: Yes. How long before more low-cost carriers start charging for those bags though?

LED lighting

Boeing: Adds variation and ambiance to the cabin. The lights can gently simulate a full flying day gradually changing through a spectrum from dawn to dusk, enhancing the flying experience.

Stevens: The lighting system has been designed to a dawn-to-dusk effect that helps maintain the circadian rhythms that tell our body when it's time to sleep.

Boeing has spent a lot of time on the lighting. The "blue-sky" lighting that greets you on a daytime flight is replaced by a softer yellow light when meals are served. It also does a mean rainbow effect but I'm not sure what that's for.

The 787 has been built as a medium-size long-haul aircraft where sleeping matters.

In conclusion

So all in all, an impressive flight. Is it the game-changer that Boeing says it is? Certainly there are enough new effects and engineering gadgets that make it a nicer experience.

At the end of the day, though, in economy a long-haul flight will always be a drag.

No matter how big the windows are or how effective the lighting and air quality is. But this is definitely a start.

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/26/travel/dreamliner-flights/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

 

At CNN, special confession by Boeing and Steven.

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ANA Boeing 787 Has Landing Gear Problem

 

November 7, 2011

 

Boeing and All Nippon Airways (ANA) are investigating a landing gear problem on the 787 Dreamliner, the first technical glitch reported since the new jet entered service less than two weeks ago, the airline said on Monday.

 

Pilots on the first of two aircraft delivered so far to ANA were forced to deploy the landing gear using a manual backup system, after an indicator lamp suggested the wheels were not properly down.

 

They landed at Okayama at the second attempt following the incident which happened on Sunday, the airline said.

 

"We are not yet sure what the problem was, but we are investigating," an airline spokesman said, adding that Boeing is also involved in the investigation.

 

Kyodo news agency linked the problem to a hydraulic valve.

 

A Boeing spokesman in Europe said: "We are aware of this matter and are on site in Japan with ANA offering whatever assistance they require."

 

The 787 is a lightweight aircraft built mainly of carbon composites designed to save fuel.

 

It was delivered in September after three years of production delays and made an inaugural flight on October 26 from Tokyo to Hong Kong followed by regular services from November 1.

 

ANA has said it will fly the aircraft domestically on a trial basis before putting it on international routes.

 

The incident comes days after a Boeing 767 landed on its belly in Warsaw after the landing gear failed to deploy.

 

The wheels-up landing was hailed as a miraculous escape for 230 people on board, but aviation experts say such incidents are relatively rare.

 

There are have been 10 accidents involving stuck landing gear since 2000, none of them fatal, according to a database run by the Flight Safety Foundation.

 

The landing gear for the 787 is made by Messier-Dowty. Parent Safran declined to comment.

 

(Reuters)

 

Source: http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1320710182.html

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All Nippon Airways saw its first significant 787 operational hiccup on 6 November, as the newly introduced aircraft suffered a malfunction that prevented the main gear from extending on the crew's first attempt.

 

A photograph taken of the first 787 delivered, JA801A, on approach to Okayama Airport shows the main landing gear doors in the retracted position, while the nose gear extended normally.

 

The Wall Street Journal indicated that a failed hydraulic valve was at fault, being replaced on site. Boeing said the aircraft has since been repaired and has re-entered service. The airframer did not discuss the nature of the failure.

 

Photos taken of the aircraft following landing at Okayama showing the nose and main landing gear body doors hanging free from the aircraft, indicates the crew selected an alternate gear swing to achieve full extension.

 

"Boeing has a support staff in Japan based at Haneda as part of our ongoing support for our customer and it is an expanded crew during initial entry into service activities," the airframer stated, adding that it can position staff on an "as needed basis" depending on the requirement.

 

ANA began its first scheduled routes on 1 November between Tokyo-Haneda airport and Okayama and Hiroshima.

 

The 787's landing gear is hydraulically actuated by the centre 5000psi hydraulic system. The centre system and its twin electric-motor-driven hydraulic pumps actuate the flaps, nose gear and steering, main gear and flight controls. One of the two centre system pumps is constantly running, while the second is available during high demand phases of flight.

 

Each main landing gear has four different hydraulic valve modules, each responsible for a different part of the sequence of raising and lowering of the 787's main landing gear and associated body doors.

 

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/first-ana-787-suffers-gear-malfunction-364408/

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ANA-JA801A-Boeing-787-881-OKJ-131323_img_960_1189.jpg

 

A photograph taken of the first 787 delivered, JA801A, on approach to Okayama Airport shows the main landing gear doors in the retracted position, while the nose gear extended normally.

Edited by Denny Yen

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It was fortunate that the problem was resolved. It would have been highly embarrassing for Boeing to have TWO belly landings in a week! ;)

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Boeing Dreamliner delivery delayed again for ANA

 

TOKYO (AFP) - Boeing's much-vaunted 787 Dreamliner was mired in yet more delays on Thursday, launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA) said in Japan.

 

The airline has so far received just two of the mid-sized, lightweight aircraft since September, three years after the first plane was originally scheduled for delivery.

 

ANA had hoped it would get a third plane in December to use on one of its Tokyo to Beijing routes, but has been forced to reschedule after Boeing said the plane would not arrive on time due to production delays.

 

'It is extremely regrettable, but we have decided to change plans,' ANA said in a statement. 'We will do our best to ask Boeing to arrange an early reception of the aircraft.'

 

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Money/Story/STIStory_745267.html

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ANA to fly Dreamliner to Seattle and San Jose

 

Japanese carrier ANA has announced Seattle and San Jose will be the first two US destinations to be served by its Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

 

Specific dates have not yet been given for the launch of the new routes, but ANA says it will begin flights from Tokyo Narita to both cities “from fiscal year 2012 onwards”.

 

There are currently no direct, non-stop flights between Tokyo and San Jose, California, while the Tokyo-Seattle route is served by United Airlines.

 

ANA is the launch carrier for the B787 Dreamliner, with passenger services commencing in October. To read a review of the airline’s inaugural Dreamliner flight between Tokyo and Hong Kong, click here.

 

Rival Japanese carrier JAL plans to operate Dreamliner flights from Tokyo to Boston when it takes delivery of its first B787 aircraft next year.

 

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/ana-to-fly-dreamliner-to-seattle-and-san-jose

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ANA expands 787 routes

 

All Nippon Airways (ANA) will begin operating the Boeing 787 on a further three domestic routes starting January.

 

ANA announced Tuesday it plans Dreamliner services on Tokyo Haneda (HND)-Itami (Osaka) and HHND-Yamaguchi Ube routes from Jan. 23, and between HND-Matsuyama from Mar. 1.

 

ANA, the launch customer for the 787, began flying the Dreamliner on HND-Okayama and HND-Hiroshima routes in November and will launch its first international 787 service on Jan. 21 when flights start between HND and Frankfurt.

 

The carrier was scheduled to receive a third 787 this month, but announced that would be delayed because of productivity issues at Boeing. ANA expects to take delivery of 20 787s by end of March, 2013.

 

The carrier also announced Tuesday that all its 787s to be delivered in 2012 will be painted with a special design that features the number “787” in large blue font at the front of the aircraft.

 

http://atwonline.com/airports-routes/news/ana-expands-787-routes-1227

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All Nippon Airways first long-haul international service with its Boeing 787 has faced a rocky start since 21 January with two of its ten flights operating between Tokyo-Haneda and Frankfurt, Germany cancelled due to technical issues with the new aircraft, the airline confirmed.

 

ANA cancelled flight NH204 on 26 January and NH203 30 January. Other 787 flights to Germany operated on 21, 23, 26 and 28 January.

 

On the days when the 787 is not operating, ANA deploys a 777-200ER to service the route.

 

The 26 January service was cancelled in Frankfurt when the aircraft's flap system failed, while the 30 January cancellation in Haneda was due to "a temporary failure of the computer software which monitors and controls the aircraft", said ANA, adding "the aircraft has been repaired by replacing the computer's concerned parts and loading software."

 

To date, five 787s have been delivered by Boeing, all to ANA, though only one has been configured for long-haul operations. JA805A, Airplane 31, with 158-seats was delivered on 30 December and formally entered service with ANA on 14 January on the type's inaugural international scheduled service between Tokyo-Haneda and Beijing, China. JA805A is currently operated exclusively on the Haneda to Frankfurt route.

 

The next 787 service between Haneda and Frankfurt will be 1 February and will be flown as originally scheduled with JA805A, said the airline.

 

"As a launch customer," said ANA "It is our obligation to work together and fully cooperate with Boeing to make the 787 an even better airplane," embracing its role in taking the brunt of a new aircraft's teething issues.

 

Just prior to its first 787 delivery to ANA in September 2011, Boeing was reportedly experiencing intermittent erroneous flight control software glitches and was said to be developing a software fix for the problem.

 

The introduction of the 787 into revenue service on domestic routes has been otherwise smooth for ANA, with the exception of a 6 November malfunction in a landing gear hydraulic valve that prevented the aircraft's main landing gear from extending on the first attempt during an approach to Okayama, Japan.

 

ANA recently carried its 100,000th passenger on the 787, marking 96.3% on-time reliability with the new aircraft in domestic Japanese operations, compared to an 96.5% ANA group on-time reliability.

 

Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/ana-faces-bumpy-start-to-long-haul-787-service-367623/

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"As a launch customer," said ANA "It is our obligation to work together and fully cooperate with Boeing to make the 787 an even better airplane," embracing its role in taking the brunt of a new aircraft's teething issues.

That is such a refreshing change from the more familiar finger pointing and "compensate me" scenarios of today's world !! :)

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All Nippon Airways first long-haul international service with its Boeing 787 has faced a rocky start since 21 January with two of its ten flights operating between Tokyo-Haneda and Frankfurt, Germany cancelled due to technical issues with the new aircraft, the airline confirmed.

 

ANA cancelled flight NH204 on 26 January and NH203 30 January. Other 787 flights to Germany operated on 21, 23, 26 and 28 January.

 

On the days when the 787 is not operating, ANA deploys a 777-200ER to service the route.

 

The 26 January service was cancelled in Frankfurt when the aircraft's flap system failed, while the 30 January cancellation in Haneda was due to "a temporary failure of the computer software which monitors and controls the aircraft", said ANA, adding "the aircraft has been repaired by replacing the computer's concerned parts and loading software."

 

To date, five 787s have been delivered by Boeing, all to ANA, though only one has been configured for long-haul operations. JA805A, Airplane 31, with 158-seats was delivered on 30 December and formally entered service with ANA on 14 January on the type's inaugural international scheduled service between Tokyo-Haneda and Beijing, China. JA805A is currently operated exclusively on the Haneda to Frankfurt route.

 

The next 787 service between Haneda and Frankfurt will be 1 February and will be flown as originally scheduled with JA805A, said the airline.

 

"As a launch customer," said ANA "It is our obligation to work together and fully cooperate with Boeing to make the 787 an even better airplane," embracing its role in taking the brunt of a new aircraft's teething issues.

 

Just prior to its first 787 delivery to ANA in September 2011, Boeing was reportedly experiencing intermittent erroneous flight control software glitches and was said to be developing a software fix for the problem.

 

The introduction of the 787 into revenue service on domestic routes has been otherwise smooth for ANA, with the exception of a 6 November malfunction in a landing gear hydraulic valve that prevented the aircraft's main landing gear from extending on the first attempt during an approach to Okayama, Japan.

 

ANA recently carried its 100,000th passenger on the 787, marking 96.3% on-time reliability with the new aircraft in domestic Japanese operations, compared to an 96.5% ANA group on-time reliability.

 

http://www.flightglo...service-367623/

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To date, five 787s have been delivered by Boeing, all to ANA, though only one has been configured for long-haul operations. JA805A, Airplane 31, with 158-seats was delivered on 30 December and formally entered service with ANA on 14 January on the type's inaugural international scheduled service between Tokyo-Haneda and Beijing, China. JA805A is currently operated exclusively on the Haneda to Frankfurt route.

 

 

 

158 seats for Haneda - Frankfurt. I wonder how's the economics of this route is working out for them. If it works, prices must be high enough and the operating cost of the 787 must be incredibly low.

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All Nippon Airways (ANA) grounded five of its 11 Boeing 787 aircraft on 21 July, after being notified by Boeing that there may be a defect in the gearbox of the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engine.

 

"We received a message from Boeing to the effect that there may be an issue with the gearbox on the engines of the 787s in ANA's fleet. No related problems have arisen on our 787s, however we have ascertained that the part at issue is fitted to five of our aircraft," says an ANA spokesman.

 

It is understood that the issue was first discovered on an engine gear box used for endurance testing on the ground. Some crown gears had shown corrosion, leading to damage to the gear box.

 

“Boeing is aware of the findings made by Rolls-Royce during engine testing that revealed corrosion in some crown gears within the gear box that had resulted from changes to a manufacturing process,” says a Boeing spokeswoman when contacted.

 

She adds that no aircraft will be delivered with affected parts.

 

The five affected aircraft, registration JA802A, JA806A, JA807A, JA808A, and JA810A, have that component. Both engines on two of the aircraft are affected, while the other three have one affected engine each.

 

The remaining six 787s in ANA's fleet are not affected. Two of the five affected aircraft were repaired and put back into service on 22 July, says ANA.

 

The remaining three aircraft however will take "another few weeks to fix" as parts have to be flown in, but the carrier is working with Rolls Royce to speed up the process, says the spokesman.

 

"Working with Boeing, we will replace the part in question and return our fleet to an operating state as quickly as possible," he adds.

 

The airline had to cancel two domestic services on 21 July due to the grounding, but is now operating all flights as usual using other aircraft.

 

Japan Airlines, which has four 787s in its fleet which runs on the General Electric's GEnx-1B engine. says its aircraft are unaffected.

 

"We do not have to ground our Dreamliners for engine inspections," says its spokeswoman.

 

Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/ana-787s-affected-by-defect-in-trent-1000-gearbox-374614/

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Not related to the problem NH is facing with their Dreamliner but about their cabin layout.

 

The next batch of their domestic 788 will be configured with 12 seats in Domestic Business Class and 323 seats in Economy Class with the seats arranged in 3-3-3 layout instead of the current 2-4-2 abreast.

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It seems Rolls Royce egines are not as reliable as they used to be. Plauged by defects and badly designed components (one might recall the BA Boeing 777-200ER incident and QF A380 incident)

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Well these days, everyone wants a piece of the manufacturing pie. It is inevitable that some components may not be as high quality as expected. It is not like the old days when a RR engine is made in England and QA takes place in one location.

 

Kudos to RR for finding the flaw during their own tests and notifying the customer promptly. I think this is all part and parcel of the initial B787 ramp up phase. So teething problems are to be expected.

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All Nippon Airways (ANA) has ordered another 11 Boeing 787-9s.

The aircraft will be delivered between the 2018 and 2021 fiscal years, says the Japanese carrier.

This brings its total order for the 787 aircraft to 66, divided between 36 787-8s and 30 787-9s. Boeing has delivered 13 787-8s to the aircraft's launch customer.

All of ANA's existing 787s are powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000, although the airline has not revealed an engine selection for its new order.

 

"ANA's future fleet plans involve the gradual replacement of the Boeing 767 and Boeing 777-200with the 787. The fuel efficiency of the 787-9 is similar to that of the 787-8, while it has more seats, helping support the profitable expansion of ANA's international and domestic route networks," says the airline.

ANA is using the aircraft on eight domestic Japanese routes and on the Tokyo Haneda-Frankfurt route. It plans to launch a new service from Tokyo Narita to San Jose service in January.

The carrier's existing Narita-Seattle service will switch to a 787-operation from 1 October and the aircraft being operated on the Haneda-Beijing route will be changed to the 787 from 28 October.

 

http://www.flightglo...-787-9s-376779/

Edited by alberttky

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