A Boeing
767-400ER (extended range) airplane - the newest member in the 767
family of airplanes - left July 10 from Boeing Field with more than 40
passengers on an around-the-world tour that will take the airplane to 17
cities and three continents.
The month-long tour includes a week's stay at the Farnborough Air Show
in England where the airplane will be on static display. At other stops
the tour also will include flight demonstrations for airline executives
and staff, news media, government officials and other aviation
representatives.
This one-of-a-kind Boeing 767 has a special World Tour design inside and
out. Both the airplane's distinctive livery and its interior feature
graphics and fabrics that reflect the human fascination with flight.
Illustrations from the Greek myths of Pegasus and Mercury are
beautifully woven into the carpets. The cabin decor features Leonardo da
Vinci's drawings.
The airplane will be on display in Vienna, Hannover and Frankfurt in
Germany, Warsaw, Prague, Larnaca, Cypress, and Luton and Gatwick in
England. The airplane will make four stops in China (in Urumqi, Haikou,
Shanghai and Beijing) before traveling on to Tokyo, Taipei, Bangkok,
Singapore and Seoul. The airplane returns to Seattle on Aug. 12.
"Taking the Boeing 767-400ER directly to our customers gives them the
opportunity to experience the comfort of the new-look interior, to see
for themselves how well it performs and discover how the 767-400ER can
fit into their operations," said John Quinlivan, Boeing 767 Program vice
president and general manager. "What our customers will see is that the
Boeing 767-400ER offers passengers a superior level of comfort on
non-stop travel to new destinations. We're proud of this airplane and
the people who designed and built it, and we want to show it off."
The 767-400ER, sized between the Boeing 767-300ER and the Boeing
777-200, features a lengthened fuselage, aerodynamic improvements such
as the innovative new raked wing tips, increased takeoff weight
capability, a passenger-pleasing 777-style interior, a new upgraded
flight deck and an all-new main landing gear. The first Boeing 767-400ER
is scheduled to deliver next month to Delta Air Lines.
Certification of the 767-400ER by the U.S. Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) and Europe's Joint Aviation -Authorities (JAA) is
expected to take place later this month.
The 767-400ER fuselage adds 21 feet (6.4 meters) to the baseline 767-300
airframe, and provides approximately 15 percent more seats -
accommodating 245 passengers in a three-class configuration and 304
passengers in a two-class configuration. The entire Boeing 767 family,
which also includes the 767-200ER and 767-300ER, has lower operating
costs per trip than any other competing airplane. And this newest member
adds an important strategic advantage by also offering the lowest
operating cost per seat.
The Boeing 767-400ER is designed to be the most efficient airplane in
its size category, making it an ideal replacement for aging L-1011,
DC-10-30 and A300 airplanes. In growing markets, it can fly more
passengers on routes served by existing 767s, A300-600s and A310s.
Efficient design gives the higher-capacity 767-400ER excellent range
capability (approximately 5,650 nautical miles or 10,460 km) to fly
about 99 percent of the routes currently being served by airplanes in
this size category.
"The 767's unique combination of capacity, performance and economics
make it the ideal choice in pioneering new markets," Quinlivan said. "In
fact the 767 is largely responsible for the dramatic fragmentation of
the North Atlantic market, helping airlines create new markets and
giving passengers more opportunities to fly directly to their
destinations."
Now with three sizes available, the 767 family offers operators even
more opportunities to efficiently and profitably open new markets and
expand existing markets at minimum risk and maximum profit.
Launched in April 1998, the Boeing 767-400ER enters revenue service
later this year with Delta and Continental Airlines. For additional
information about the tour, and to see the airplane inside and out,
visit the website at https://www.boeing.com/767tour |