SEATTLE — The Boeing 787 that starred in the company’s globe-trotting Dreamtour in 2012 is being donated to the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
The company and the museum are still working out the details, but the airplane is tentatively scheduled to arrive Nov. 8, said Ted Huetter, a museum spokesman.
The plane was the third Dreamliner built and is a huge addition for the museum’s collection. The Dreamliner is important to the evolution of commercial air travel. It has helped airlines move away from traditional hub-and-spoke systems. Instead, the twin-aisle jetliner has allowed them to open longer routes with less demand.
The program struggled early on with production delays and other issues. Nonetheless, the plane has been extremely popular with airlines. Boeing’s 787 backlog stood at 865 at the end of August.
Boeing had originally sought to sell the program’s test airplanes, which had to be so extensively modified that airlines have not been interested, said Scott Hamilton, an aerospace analyst with Issaquah-based Leeham Co.
Boeing used this particular 787 in its 2012 Dreamtour, a six-month trip visiting airports around the world.
It is currently parked in Moses Lake, according to the blog All Things 787.
Boeing declined to comment on the donation.
Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.
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