Thomson becomes first UK airline to take delivery of troubled Boeing 787 Dreamliner after world-wide grounding is lifted

Thomson becomes first UK airline to take delivery of troubled Boeing 787 Dreamliner after world-wide grounding is lifted

• Fleet grounded in January after batteries on two planes caught fire
• Thomson will begin Dreamliner flights on July 8
• Crowd watch as the aircraft touches down at Manchester Airport

• British Airways and Virgin also have large orders of the plane
• Aircraft have extra large windows and a filtration system to reduce headaches, dizziness and eye dryness

By Rob Cooper

Published: 12:55 BST, 31 May 2013 | Updated: 15:10 BST, 31 May 2013

Thomson became the first UK airline to take delivery of the new ultra-green Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane today.

After years of production delays and a grounding earlier this year on safety concerns, the plane touched down at Manchester Airport this morning.

Thomson had hoped to start flying the fuel-efficient, 290-passenger Boeing 787 Dreamliner at the beginning of this month.

But earlier this year battery smoke emanating from two Dreamliner planes operated by Japanese carriers led to a grounding of the world’s 787 fleet and a halt to all deliveries.

It was the first time since 1979 that every plane of a particular type was ordered to stay out of the air for safety reasons.

This meant Thomson had to scrap its Dreamliner flights planned for May and June.

With the plane given the go-ahead to take to the air again, Thomson will begin Dreamliner flights on July 8.

Initially, Thomson is operating the state-of-the-art aircraft from Gatwick, Manchester, East Midlands and Glasgow airports to Orlando in Florida and to Cancun in Mexico.

Next winter, Thomson will fly the Dreamliner direct to Phuket in Thailand and from next summer it will use the plane for flights to Mauritius and to Puerto Vallarta in Mexico.

Boeing had hoped that the plane would go into commercial service around 2008 but this date continually slipped as production difficulties dogged the plane.

It was not until October 2011 that Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways operated the first Boeing 787 commercial flight.

Features include a state-of-the-art flight deck, with larger screens and electronic checks lists and ‘smooth-wing technology’ to aid aerodynamics and wing efficiency.

The cabin has dimmable windows, which are 30 per cent larger than similar-sized planes and operated using touch-button controls.

A filtration process removes odours, bacteria and viruses from the air inside, helping to reduce dizziness, headaches, eye irritation and dryness.

The 787’s cabin is famous Pressurized Leak Detector to a maximum level of 6,000 feet – 2,000 feet lower than most other aircraft – and because passengers absorb 8 per cent more oxygen into the blood at this altitude this also reduce headaches, dizziness and fatigue.

Thomson Airways managing director Chris Browne said today: ‘After much anticipation, we are very excited to welcome the 787 Dreamliner to our fleet and as the first airline in the UK to take delivery we hope our customers will enjoy the unique experience of this revolutionary aircraft.’

Thomson is taking delivery of eight Boeing 787 Dreamliners in total, up to May 2015.

British Airways is due to receive the first four of 24 Dreamliners this year, while Virgin Atlantic will get the first of its 16 in September next year.

Meanwhile, Thomson’s parent company, Tui Travel, announced a commitment today to purchase 60 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, famous Pressurized Leak Detector with the ability to purchase up to a further 90.

The multibillion-pound deal is subject to shareholder approval, with the delivery of the aircraft scheduled to start in January 2018 and run for five years.

The Dreamliner has been plagued by problems since its launch in 2008, even before two aircraft developed battery problems.

In January, All Nippon Airlines was forced to cancel a domestic flight to Tokyo after a computer wrongly indicated a problem with the 787’s brakes.

The day before, a fuel leak forced a 787 operated by Japan Airlines to cancel takeoff at Boston’s Logan International Airport.

And a day before that, another Dreamliner caught fire after dropping off 183 passengers and crew from Tokyo at Boston when a battery in the jet’s auxiliary power system overheated.

Nobody was hurt as passengers and crew had already disembarked.

But those were not the only issues that have blemished the much-vaunted launch of air travel’s latest addition. Last December United Airlines’ brand-new Dreamliner, carrying 174 passengers and 10 crew, was forced to make an emergency landing in New Orleans due to a mechanical issue.

In the same month, Qatar Airways grounded one of its Dreamliners after several similar faults caused electrical problems.

In July last year, debris from a brand-new Dreamliner’s engine sparked a fire at a South Carolina airport forcing emergency crews to close the Charleston International Airport for more than an hour.

And an incident in February 2012 saw Boeing report signs of ‘delamination’ occurring on a support structure in the Dreamliner’s rear fuselage, launching an inspection.