The Boeing 787 Dreamliner lifted off on Wednesday for the first time with paying passengers on board, marking a milestone many years in the making for the world’s first “plastic” airliner.
The jet, owned and operated by All Nippon Airways, carried 240 passengers from Hong Kong to Tokyo, a trip that some passengers paid as much as $30,000 for at auction.
The historic flight took place on the same day that the 707, Boeing’s first commercial airliner, took to the skies for its first voyage carrying fare-paying passengers under the operation of Pan Am 53 years ago.
Comprised of 50-percent composite materials and quieter engines, Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is unlike any other commercial jet flying today. According to Boeing, the airplane runs on 20 percent less fuel than its competitors, while releasing 20 percent fewer carbon emissions.
