Story ID: 336
Singapore Airlines Takes First Boeing 787-10
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: Scheduled to enter service in May, SIA 787-10s will initially fly routes planned for Osaka, Japan, and Perth, Australia.
Word Count: 714
Boeing is ramping up on the newest member of the 787 family—the 787-10—delivering four of the aircraft through the end of May, a little more than two months after handing over the first to launch customer Singapore Airlines (SIA) in March. Boeing (Chalet B6) celebrated that first delivery of 787-10 9V-SCA with much fanfare before 3,000 Boeing employees and their guests, SIA and Rolls-Royce executives, and other dignitaries.

With the delivery, SIA Group becomes the first to operate all three members of the 787 family, which also includes the original -8 and the -9. “[The 787-10] will be an important element in our overall growth strategy, enabling us to extend our network and strengthen our operations,” SIA CEO Goh Choon Phong said during the ceremony.

SIA, which has placed firm orders for 49 of the new model, began operations with the aircraft in May on routes to Osaka and Tokyo, Japan, as well as to Perth, Australia. The newest route for the -10 for SIA is Bali, which began this month.

SIA took all of the first four -10 deliveries, which came after U.S. FAA certification on January 22 and Singapore approval in March.

SIA has chosen the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Ten to power its 787-10s. The GEnx-powered model awaits U.S. FAA approval before scheduled first delivery to United Airlines in the second half of the year. 

In addition to GEnx-powered model approval later this year, Boeing is targeting UAE type validation for the -10 in the third quarter. Next to SIA, UAE carrier Etihad Airways has the second largest order tally for the variant at 30.

Other validations are planned next year in Japan, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Through the end of May, Boeing had orders for 171 of the -10s.
Family Commonality
The largest of the three 787 models, the 787-10 measures 18 feet longer than its -9 sibling. The additional length gives the 787-10 fourteen percent more passenger-carrying capability and 13 percent more cargo capacity. It gained its length through the addition of five frames in front of the wing and four frames aft of the wing. Range accounts for another difference between the -10 and the -9; the -9 takes the crown for the longest legs at 7,635 nm, while the -10 flies 6,430 nm.

But beyond the size/range capabilities, the -9 and -10 nearly mirror each other, featuring 95 percent parts commonality. The commonality not only provided for an uneventful flight-test campaign that involved three flight-test airplanes, but also a smooth incorporation of the new member into the production line at Boeing’s plant in North Charleston, South Carolina.

The South Carolina plant produces the carbon-fiber aft section for the 787 family and assembles the mid-section, which includes sections shipped from Italy and Japan. While Boeing splits final assembly of the -8 and -9 models between Boeing South Carolina and the company’s plant in Everett, Washington, the -10 gets built fully in South Carolina, mainly because its center fuselage section won't fit aboard Boeing’s Dreamlifter fleet.

Dan Mooney, vice president of engineering for Boeing's South Carolina design center, noted that the full production capability makes the South Carolina plant the only site with complete “freezer to flight” operations from fabrication of the raw materials to delivery.

For Boeing South Carolina, the initial delivery marked a major milestone for the location, becoming the site’s first delivery of a new model designation. Delivery ceremonies for the inaugural -8 and -9 took place in Boeing’s Everett location.

The 787-10 delivery marked the culmination of an evolution at the Boeing South Carolina site, which did not exist a decade ago. After purchasing the former Vought Aircraft facilities in 2009, Boeing has poured $2 billion into the location and increased its footprint there from the original 240 acres to 884 acres and increased employment to 7,000. The acreage provides considerable room for growth, and Boeing hasn't yet specified its plans for nearly half of it.

For now, Boeing is concentrating on increasing its production numbers for the 787 family from the 12 per month this year to 14 per month next year. The 14-build plan represents the combined total for both Everett and South Carolina.

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