Royal Brunei Airlines takes delivery of the first of five Dreamliners

Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) and Boeing have celebrated the delivery to the flag carrier of the Sultanate of Brunei of the first B787 Dreamliner aircraft powered by Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines. This important event also signaled the first delivery by Boeing of this aircraft into the South East Asia region.

The brand new aircraft departed Paine Field in Everett, Washington on Wednesday evening for the 6,540 nautical mile non-stop flight home to Bandar Seri Begawan International Airport in Brunei. Senior RB pilots, Captain KhalidKhan Haji Asmakhan, Captain Saiful Bahrin Awang Bahar and Captain Clive Dudley were in the cockpit for this historic delivery flight.

Guest of Honour at the Delivery ceremony in the United States was Pengiran Adnan Pengiran Badaruddin, Director Civil Aviation Brunei, who personally oversaw the completion of registration formalities for the new aircraft.

The arrival of this new generation eco-friendly aircraft into the RB fleet is part of a major investment program in the airline which has been spearheaded by the board in recent times, under the Chairmanship of Dato Paduka Awg Haji Bahrin Bin Abdullah.

RB becomes the first airline to operate the Dream liner in South East Asia, and will shortly become the first airline to offer an exclusive 8787 Dreamliner service on all long-haul flights. This provides RB with an exciting opportunity to provide an unrivalled passenger experience in a quieter passenger cabin, while minimising the environmental impact of air travel.

RB’s first Dreamliner will begin flying regionally to Singapore on the 18th October, with long haul service to London, via Dubai, to begin on 1st December 2013.The target is to extend the Dreamliner service to daily flights to Melbourne from the second quarter of 2014.

This milestone delivery for RB will be celebrated with a major launch event to take place shortly in Brunei. Prior to that, the aircraft will be kept ‘behind closed doors’ while undergoing standard internal familiarisation procedures and training.

Operating across four continents and flying to 15 major cities including London, Hong Kong, Melbourne and Manila, RB has consistently focused on providing award-winning service throughout its 37-year history.

Dermot Mannion, Deputy Chairman of RB said, “This exciting addition to our fleet keeps passenger comfort and high quality service at the heart of our airline and ensures our fleet remains modern and offers a peaceful and tranquil travel experience. As a boutique airline we offer truly personal service, always aiming to delight our passengers with an authentic Bruneian experience to enrich their journeys.”

“We are delighted that Royal Brunei Airlines has chosen to expand its fleet with five 787s,” said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The choice is a testament to the airline’s commitment to offer the best possible service to its passengers and to operate the most efficient airplane flying today.”

“We are proud to power Royal Brunei’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner and that we will be supporting the airline’s Dreamliner fleet with our TotaiCare® long term engine service and support,” said Bruce Blythe, Rolls-Royce Senior Vice President- Customers. “Royal Brunei’s selection of the Trent 1000 for its Dream liners extends our relationship with one of South East Asia’s leading airlines which has previously operated Rolls-Royce powered Fokker lOOs, Boeing 757s and Boeing 777s.”