Boeing said Thursday it has begun final assembly in North Charleston, S.C., of the first 787-10, the third and largest version of its Dreamliner jet family.
“As we enter the next phase of the 787-10’s development, we eagerly watch our first airplane come to life,” said Ken Sanger, vice president of 787 Airplane Development.
For the two smaller Dreamliner models, most mid-fuselage sections assembled in North Charleston are ferried to Everett for final assembly inside customized Dreamlifter cargo planes. But the 787-10’s stretched mid-fuselage is too long to fit into the Dreamlifter, so final assembly of the -10 model will be done exclusively in South Carolina.
The stretched 787-10 has 95 percent commonality with the 787-9. It adds seats and cargo capacity, though it has less range.
It seats 330 passengers in a two-class configuration with a range of 7,400 miles, compared to 290 passengers on the 787-9 with a range just shy of 8,800 miles.
Boeing has, so far, received 154 orders from nine customers for the 787-10. The first one is expected to fly next year, with first delivery scheduled for 2018.