Air New Zealand has announced the world’s first scheduled flight for the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The national airline is the Dreamliner’s first customer and will launch the aircraft from Auckland to Perth in Western Australia in October 2014. Next year the plane model will also be deployed on an Auckland-Tokyo route, followed by Auckland-Shanghai. The latest Dreamliner is akin to a longer version of the current Boeing 787-8 with an additional capacity of 40 passengers and an added length of 20 feet. The Air New Zealand configuration will include 302 seats total with 18 lie-flat seats in the Business Premier cabin, a Premium Economy cabin with 21 seats, and two Economy cabins with 263 seats total. Uniquely the plane will also feature 14 Skycouch rows, a row of three economy seats that turn into a three-seater couch. Other features include slimmer seats due to compact inflight entertainment allowing more personal space for the passenger.

For more information, visit Air New Zealand