Aquila Airlines Boeing 787 Poster

Back in 2003, Boeing officially announced the new 7E7 project. Believing that the future of long-haul air travel was the point-to-point model (as opposed to the hub-and-spoke model predicted by Airbus as the future), Boeing decided to instead offer a plane that would make use of all of the latest tech available to them, focussing on fuel efficiency. This plan paid off, as the 787 was 20% more efficient than its predecessor, the Boeing 767.

Having heard about this incredible new plane in the works, Aquila Airlines were quite excited about the project. Their fleet of 767s were reliable and in big numbers, but they were getting old, and the 777 and 747 were a bit too big to replace them on their routes. Thus, on June 19th, 2004, Aquila Airlines placed a preliminary order for 20 Boeing 787-8s, one of the aircraft's very first orders, placing Aquila Airlines at the front of the first customer list.

The airline was expecting to receive its first 787 in 2010, however, several problems with sourcing parts and fastener shortages delayed the program by many years. Originally planned for a first flight by the end of August 2007, the first 787 didn't actually take off for the first time until December 2009. Frustrated by the program delays, Aquila Airlines threatened to cancel their 787 order (which now included 20 of the stretched 787-9) in favour of the Airbus A330 and A350. However, they decided to keep the order, and they finally received their first Dreamliner in March 2012, approximately two years behind schedule.

The 787 almost instantly destroyed any hard feelings employees had about the plane due to the delays when, on 6th April, 2012, the first 787 operated by the airline, a 787-8, took off on the maiden flight to Hong Kong. The plane showed outstanding performance on long haul routes, being much more effiecient and profitable than the 767s, which were relegated to mostly high-demand domestic routes. The 787 quickly took over the long-haul routes of the airline, flying alongside the aging 747-400s and 777s.

The airline was extremely happy with the aircraft, and quickly became one of the largest customers for the aircraft. Both the 787-8 and 787-9 were performing excellently in operation, so when Aquila Airlines heard that Boeing, faced with pressure from other airlines, was going to release a further stretch of the 787, they were all for it, becoming one of the first customers for the new Boeing 787-10.

Shown above is N854QL, a 787-8, N876QL, a 787-9, and N892QL, a 787-10, in the airline's current livery. Aquila Airlines currently flies a fleet of 28 787-8s, 24 787-9s and 6 787-10s. In addition to this, there is another 6 -9s and 10 -10s on order. The 787-9 was also the aircraft chosen to unveil Aquila Airlines' newest livery in 2016, as well as the next variation of the iconic “Star Eagle” logo.

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