Boeing's 787 Dreamliner flew into Tokyo from Seattle Sunday for test flights as All Nippon Airways prepares to become the world's first airline to deploy the new fuel-efficient long-haul jet.
The wide-bodied twin-engine plane touched down at Tokyo's Haneda Airport at 6:20 am on a maiden flight to Asia as its arrival was broadcast live online and crowds of aircraft enthusiasts gathered in and around the seaside airport.
Painted in the ANA colours of white and blue, the 787 taxied to a hangar through an arch of water sprayed from two airport fire trucks.
"It got good mileage as we used less fuel than what we thought would be enough," the plane's Japanese captain Masami Tsukamoto told reporters. "It is an environmentally friendly plane." The 787's fuselage has been made lighter as it is 50 percent made of carbon fibre and other composite materials. Its fuel efficiency is 20 percent better than the similarly sized Boeing 767, which will be replaced by the new aircraft, according to Boeing.
The jet, 56 metres (184 feet) long with a wingspan of 60 metres (197 feet), will be tested at five airports, including Osaka's Kansai and Hiroshima during its six-day itinerary in Japan.
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