United Airlines’ First Boeing 787-9 Rolls Out of Factory

United Airlines’ first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner rolled out of final assembly at Boeing’s Everett, Wash., facility, on Tuesday evening.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is the second and newest member of the 787 family. With the fuselage stretched 20 feet longer than the 787-8, United’s 787-9 will fly more than 30 additional passengers and up to 300 nautical miles farther than the  787-8.

United is the North American launch customer for the aircraft.

“The 787-9 is an amazing aircraft that builds on the 787-8’s proven fuel efficiency, performance and customer comfort,” said Ron Baur, United’s vice president of fleet. “We are excited to add the 787-9 to our Dreamliner fleet as it gives us even more flexibility and range to capitalize on our extensive worldwide route network.”

United will fly the 787-9 on nonstop service between its hub at Los Angeles International Airport and Melbourne, Australia, beginning in October. The airline will fly the route six times weekly with the aircraft. United will be the first North American carrier to take delivery of the 787-9, and this will be the airline’s first international deployment of the aircraft type.

Over the next several months, the aircraft will move to the next phase of completion, which includes final cabin configuration and painting.

United’s 787-9 will be configured with 252 seats – 48 in United BusinessFirst and 204 in United Economy, including 88 Economy Plus seats with added legroom and increased personal space. United’s first 787-9 will also be one of five aircraft used by Boeing in a flight test program to certify the aircraft.