Issue 355: Great Southern Lands

Qantas takes delivery of its first 787 Dreamliner

It’s been a long time coming. When the first Qantas 787-9 touched down in Sydney at the end of its delivery flight from Boeing’s Everett factory on October 20, almost 12 years had passed since the airline first placed its order for the 787 in 2005.

Qantas and Boeing have changed dramatically since the airline first announced its original order for 65 787s in December 2005, which at the time was the largest order placed to date for the aircraft. The 787 program itself suffered from a series of tumultuous development and production delays, while Qantas has ridden the highs and lows of record profits and record losses.