With the fanfare of a royal wedding and Tom Brokaw serving as the emcee, Boeing Co. will lift the veil Sunday on its first new passenger jet in more than a decade, ushering in what some analysts believe will be a new era in air travel.
More than 15,000 dignitaries and airline executives have been invited to the rollout of the 787 Dreamliner at Boeing's massive Everett, Wash., plant, and an estimated 50,000 current and retired employees of the aircraft maker will watch on large screens at Qwest Field, home of the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks.
Boeing executives hope that the extravagant rollout will befit a plane that could be a game changer in aviation, much the way the nation's first passenger jet, Boeing's 707, redefined travel in the 1960s, analysts said. The date of the rollout was chosen because it is the same as the model designation for the aircraft.
"It will be revolutionary," said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst for aerospace research firm Teal Group Corp. "It will represent a major technological shift in the way a plane is made and in the way it operates."
The 707 changed aviation by enabling airlines to fly to far-flung destinations more quickly than propeller-driven planes. It allowed carriers to begin offering economy seating, making air travel more affordable.
The Dreamliner is groundbreaking for a different reason: It's the first large passenger jet to have more than half of its structure made of composite materials (carbon fibers meshed together with epoxy) instead of aluminum sheets.
If the design works as planned, analysts say, composites will revolutionize aircraft as dramatically as the industry's shift from wood to metal 80 years ago.
Chicago-based Boeing has promised airlines that the use of composites and a newly developed engine will result in the 787 burning 20% less fuel than jetliners of a similar size.
The plane will seat about 250 passengers, depending on the cabin configuration, and will require less maintenance because it has fewer parts and will incur less corrosion. Boeing says the 787 will save airlines about 30% in maintenance expenses.
The plane won't start flying passengers until May, but it already has become the hottest-selling passenger jet ever and probably will be a substantial revenue producer for Boeing for an extended period.
This comes on top of strong sales of its existing line of airliners. Boeing reported a net income for the first quarter of $877 million, up from $692 million a year earlier.
