CHINA Southern Airlines will receive China's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner early next month as the Civil Aviation Administration of China has approved the validation of the aircraft, the carrier said.
The Guangzhou-based carrier has ordered a total of 10 Dreamliners and an expert team has flown to Boeing headquarters in Seattle to prepare for the delivery, it said in a statement yesterday.
Boeing China President Marc Allen yesterday said the 787 will be available in China "very soon" and that he expects "sweet landings ahead" for the aircraft.
China Southern's Dreamliner will be fitted with an improved battery, Boeing said.
Deliveries of the Dreamliners resumed after being suspended in January when regulators grounded the worldwide fleet of 50 planes following two separate incidents in which lithium-ion batteries overheated on the aircraft.