Boeing delivers world's first 787-10 Dreamliner to Singapore Airlines

SAN FRANCISCO - The world's biggest aircraft manufacturer Boeing Company (Boeing) on Sunday delivered the world's first 787-10 Dreamliner to Singapore Airlines, the newest and largest member of the Dreamliner family.

The milestone delivery was witnessed by about 3,000 people at the facility in North Charleston, South Carolina where the latest 787 model is manufactured, Boeing said in a statement.

Hailed as a new global standard for fuel efficiency, the 787-10 jet features a longer fuselage which allows it to carry about 40 more passengers or a total of 330 seats in a standard two-class configuration.

With the additional capacity, the 787-10 provides airlines with the lowest operating cost per seat of any widebody airplane in service today, Boeing said.

"The 787-10 is a magnificent piece of engineering and truly a work of art. It will be an important element in our overall growth strategy, enabling us to expand our network and strengthen our operations," said Goh Choon Phong, chief executive officer of Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines already flies the 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliners, and with Sunday's delivery, the group will be the first to operate all three Dreamliner models in the world.

The Singapore air carrier has 68 additional Boeing widebody jets on order, including 48 additional 787-10s, and 20 of the new 777-9s, Boeing said.

Singapore Airlines plans to put its 787-10s into scheduled service in May, with flights from Singapore to Osaka, Japan and to Perth, Australia.