Dreamliner Key to Boston's Tourism Strategy

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Boston Globe: The key to opening up the Asian market to Boston? The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a much-anticipated airliner that can fly long distances with less fuel than other planes its size.

Japan Airlines will be the first carrier to fly the 787 out of Logan International Airport when service starts here in April. The long-awaited plane, which is expected to launch in the fall, is the only aircraft that can profitably fly the 6,700-mile flight between Logan and Narita International Airport.

Other planes can’t make the 13 1/2-hour flight efficiently from Logan because its 10,000-foot runways aren’t long enough to allow those aircraft to take off fully loaded with passengers, cargo, and enough fuel to make the journey nonstop.

“We don’t have the mega runways that Kennedy offers. They can launch nonstops out of Kennedy to just about any destination in the world, fully loaded,’’ said Edward Freni, director of aviation for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Logan.

The lighter, smaller, more fuel-efficient 787s — with as much as half of the structure made out of composite materials — will have a capacity of about 200 passengers in Boston.

“That at least makes it possible to generate enough load factor to fill enough of those seats to make the operation profitable,’’ said Peter Belobaba, director of MIT’s Global Airline Industry Program.

Boeing touts the efficiency of the 787 for airlines, but the airliner has amenities for passengers as well. It will be equipped with bigger windows, noise-reducing technology, and sensors to counter the effects of turbulence. The air will be cleaned with a new gaseous filtration system and have a higher humidity level for greater passenger comfort.

The 787 is in the process of being certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and is expected to be delivered to its first airline, All Nippon Airways Co., in August or September. A total of 56 airlines, including United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, have placed orders for the 787. The plane was initially supposed to start flying in May 2008, but the launch date was pushed back by several factors including issues with suppliers, a strike at Boeing, and electrical problems.