July 10, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 24, 1428

EVERETT (Washington): Aircraft manufacturer Boeing on Sunday unveiled its new “green” passenger jet, the 787 Dreamliner, which boasts a series of fuel-efficient design features that have sparked huge demand.

The much-hyped aircraft was rolled out for its first public appearance at Boeing's giant plant in Everett, some 40 kilometres north of Seattle, as photographers snapped pictures and several thousand fans applauded.

“I worked on its wings. It’s a great day,” said Boeing technician John Bandur, who came to the unveiling with his son, Mathius.

The Dreamliner, Boeing's first new model in 13 years, takes advantage of the huge advances made in aviation technology in the past decade, was designed using high-tech plastic composites instead of aluminium.

Up to 50 percent of the primary structure of the plane — including the fuselage and wing — are made of composites such as carbon-fiber, which reduce the weight of the planes.

“The airplane will use 20 per cent less fuel for comparable missions than today's similarly sized airplane,” Boeing said in a statement ahead of the unveiling.

Boeing, which aims to build 2,000 Dreamliners over the next two decades, has so far received 677 orders from 47 companies for the plane, which has a catalogue price of between $146 to $200 million.—AFP