Everyone's favourite plane now faces intense scrutiny

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was the first truly 21st-century big jet. More than 1,000 are in service, and many passengers rate it more highly than other aircraft.

- SIMON CALDER

The carbon-fibre twin-engined 787 was designed partly as a replacement for Boeing’s veteran 767 – but also to introduce passenger-friendly benefits such as larger windows and higher cabin pressure.

The Dreamliner was also accountant-friendly, burning about one-fifth less fuel than the 767, and allowed airlines’ network planners to dream of ultra-long routes. The daily Qantas nonstop between London Heathrow and Perth in Western Australia, covering over 9,000 miles, is a doddle for a suitably configured 787.

Boeing’s bet was that an efficient aircraft with plenty of range would enable plenty of previously unserved city pairs to be flown profitably. The wager at arch-rival Airbus was different: think big. Going one step beyond the 747 Jumbo jet by extending the double deck for the length of the aircraft. The European engineers came up with world’s largest airborne people-mover: the Airbus A380 “SuperJumbo”.