Boeing 787 Begins Service-Ready Validation Trials in Japan

Boeing and Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) have begun an important validation of their readiness for the 787 Dreamliner’s entry into service.

Throughout the coming days, ANA pilots, together with Boeing, will fly a Boeing 787 on actual airline routes in Japan using airline dispatch and flight rules. ANA’s mechanics and ground crews also will gain experience with the aircraft in a simulated operational environment.

The Boeing 787 debuted in Asia on July 3, 2011 with a landing at Haneda Airport in Tokyo at 6:21 a.m., local time. Boeing and ANA then planned to conduct a validation of their readiness for the 787 Dreamliner’s entry into service

“ANA is proud to be the first airline in the world that will operate the 787,” says Shinichiro Ito, ANA’s president and CEO. “The Dreamliner is an integral part of our plans to become Asia’s number one airline and will allow us to bring new standards of comfort and service to our passengers. Validating all of our training and preparations for the Dreamliner is critical to help ensure a smoother entry into service for our passengers and crews later this year.”

The 787 debuted in Asia on July 3 with a landing at Haneda Airport in Tokyo at 6:21 a.m. local time. More than a thousand media, ANA employees and aviation enthusiasts gathered to witness the 787’s arrival and welcome ANA pilots Captains Masayuki Ishii and Masami Tsukamoto and Boeing pilots Captains Mike Carriker, Heather Ross and Ted Grady.

ANA’s first 787 Dreamliner, due to be delivered in the August to September 2011 timeframe, sports a special livery, as do the following two 787s delivered to the Japanese airline

Sporting ANA’s livery, the 787 flight test airplane ZA002 flew non-stop to Tokyo from Seattle.

Throughout the week-long validation, the 787 will experience simulated day-to-day airline operations. Maintenance, servicing and flight crew operations will be conducted at five airports: Tokyo Haneda, Osaka (Itami and Kansai), Okayama and Hiroshima.

ANA’s first scheduled service with the 787 will be either the Haneda-Okayama or Haneda-Hiroshima route when deliveries begin later this year.

This is how the business class cabin looks in the long-haul Boeing 787s of launch customer ANA. Passengers find the aircraft has comfortable business and economy class seats, bigger windows and a spacious cabin

The Japanese carrier has 55 Dreamliners on order. Boeing says ANA will deploy the 787 across its route network as an integral part of its strategy to strengthen its position and support its growth and expansion plans.

Boeing plans to deliver the first 787 to ANA in the August to September timeframe.