Boeing's Dreamliner begins first commercial flight

The All Nippon Airlines (ANA) flight is carrying its first passengers from Tokyo to Hong Kong. The Dreamliner had originally been scheduled for delivery in 2008, but Boeing has suffered a string of setbacks. Wednesday's flight is a special charter, with normal services due to start in November. Because of the materials used in construction, Boeing says the Dreamliner is about 20% more fuel efficient than similarly sized models flying today. That would help a big help for airlines coping with the high price of jet fuel, which is usually their biggest single cost. "For carriers with high operating margins, the 787 is critical for gaining a cost competitiveness," said Masaharu Hirokane, an analyst at Nomura Holding in Tokyo. "For ANA to be a launch customer is a plus." Japan, a market in which Boeing dominates rival Airbus, is a major market for the Dreamliner. ANA will take delivery of dozens more of the aircraft in the coming years. Boeing plans to make 10 of the planes a month from 2013. But the long delay has hurt its business. Last week, China Eastern Airlines cancelled orders for 24 Dreamliners, rather than wait for production to pick up.