Boeing 787 Dreamliner to touch down in Auckland this Saturday
Tuesday 8 November 2011, 12:21PM
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The Boeing 787 will touch down in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time on Saturday morning 12 November at Auckland International Airport.
Air New Zealand’s Chief Pilot Captain David Morgan will be onboard the 787-8 test aircraft, joining more than 30 Boeing staff testing the aircraft’s performance as it makes its journey non-stop from Seattle’s Boeing Field Airport.
Air New Zealand is hosting the aircraft at its engineering base at Auckland Airport for two days.
The aircraft’s flight path over Auckland will depend on weather and wind conditions on the day but its arrival at Auckland Airport is expected at approximately 10am.
Expected flight path if landing on runway 23L to the southwest:
The aircraft will approach Auckland from the northeast over Browns Bay at approximately 9.50am before tracking to Whenuapai then turning left to fly at lower altitude over the harbour bridge and past the eastern beaches before turning right for a normal approach over Manukau City to Auckland International Airport.
Expected flight path if landing on runway 05R to the northeast:
The aircraft will approach Auckland from the northeast between Waiheke Island and Motutapu Island at approximately 9.50am, turn right over Browns Island and fly at lower altitude down the harbour over the harbour bridge towards Te Atatu before turning left for a normal approach over the Manukau Heads towards Auckland International Airport.
For those wanting to see the aircraft leave for Sydney on Tuesday 15 November, the aircraft has a planned departure time of 10am that day.
The 787 aircraft coming to Auckland is the first test aircraft produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes and the cabin interior is fitted only with test equipment.
Branded the "Dreamliner" by Boeing, the structure of the 787 aircraft makes significant use of lightweight high-tech composite materials to deliver operating efficiencies and customer comfort, including higher humidity levels and a more comfortable, lower cabin altitude.