WestJet Gets its First Dreamliner

Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet took delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on Thursday.

The Calgary-based airline will use the high-tech aircraft to open up new routes including the first-ever flight connecting Calgary and Dublin. Other planned routes include flights linking Calgary to both London’s Gatwick Airport and Paris.

WestJet’s Dreamliners will seat 320 passengers in a three-class configuration. The airline will offer a business-class cabin with its first ever fully lie-flat seats, as well as a premium-economy cabin with seats in a 2-3-2 configuration.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is the second member of the Dreamliner family to be produced. Similar to the 787-8, the stretch variant of the high-tech jet uses 20% less fuel and produces 20% fewer emissions than similar-sized airplanes.
Compared to the original, the 787-9 is 20’ (six meters) longer, has greater capacity, and has a range of 8,300 nautical miles (15,372 kilometers), while the 787-8 is limited to 7,850 nautical miles (14,500 kilometers).

(Photo: Accura Media Group)