Daily Boeing 787 Dreamliner service begins at Vancouver International Airport

China Southern Airlines’ (CZ) can lay claim on being the first airline to fly daily Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights to Vancouver International Airport and the only one in Canada to offer passengers an exclusive First Class experience.

“The introduction of the Dreamliner to CZ’s daily YVR-Guangzhou route is a testament to the growing business traffic between British Columbia, Canada and China and validates our strategy to build YVR as a global gateway to the Asia Pacific,” said Craig Richmond, President & CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. “CZ’s service connects British Columbia’s people, products and businesses with important trade and travel opportunities in China’s most populous province, Guangdong.”

Since its first service to YVR in 2011, CZ has continued to grow its operations at YVR, boosting initial service from three flights per week to daily service in less than two years.

Image: YVR/Ben Nelms

“Since China Southern Airlines introduced the Guangzhou-Vancouver service, we have been expanding our presence at YVR with more flights on this important route,” said Wangeng Tan, President and CEO, China Southern Airlines. “Our B787 Dreamliner service provides an even better experience for our business travellers and indicates our confidence in YVR’s growing aviation market.”

A highlight of CZ’s new Dreamliner service is its luxurious First Class experience, made available to just four passengers who will enjoy cocoon seats, each 69 centimetres wide, with a built-in 17-inch TV screen and the ability to convert into a fully-flat bed just shy of two metres long. This exclusive experience complements the 24 Business Class and 200 Economy Class seats configured on CZ’s revolutionary Dreamliner.

Image: YVR/Ben Nelms

“Transportation ties are the foundation of all great cultural and economic relationships, and Canada’s relationship with China is becoming stronger every day,” said The Honourable Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Minister of National Revenue, Government of Canada. “As the first gateway into Canada from China, Vancouver’s harbours and airports serve as Canada’s welcome centre, and I am thrilled to welcome the inaugural arrival of China Southern’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner to YVR.”

Added The Honourable Teresa Wat, Minister of International Trade and Responsible for the Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism, Government of British Columbia: “I commend China Southern Airlines on bringing the first daily Dreamliner service to British Columbia. British Columbia is Canada’s Pacific Gateway and China Southern Airlines’ non-stop flights to Guangzhou have given Asian companies and business travellers from around the world a stronger connection to B.C.”

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is a superefficient airplane with innovative passenger- pleasing features. The 787 delivers the economics of large jet transport to a mid-sized plane, using 20 per cent less fuel than any other airplane of its size.

About the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner

• The 787 is equipped with Smoother Ride Technology, a Boeing-designed system that senses turbulence and commands wing control to smoothen the ride in moderate turbulence. Passengers will enjoy a more comfortable flight, including reduced motion sickness.
• The window shades aboard the 787 are dramatically different than those found on other commercial jetliners. Electrochromatic window shades—not physical shades—allow passengers to dim the windows and still see the passing terrain.
• Windows on the 787 are the largest of any airplane flying today (47 by 28 centimetres or 18.5 by 11 inches). Passengers in any seat on the airplane enjoy a view to the horizon, which connects them to the flying experience.
• Fresh air is introduced into the cabin via air scoops on the side of the fuselage. Like most current aircraft, the 787 system includes a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter to remove bacteria and viruses. An additional gaseous filtration system also removes odors, irritants and gaseous contaminants, some of the primary contributors to throat, eye and nose irritation.
• The 787 features technologies to improve the sound experience. For example, the scalloped chevrons on the engine casings lower noise both inside and outside the cabin, making the airplane quieter for passengers, ground crews and communities.
• The 787-8 Dreamliner can carry up to 250 passengers on routes of 14,200 to 15,200 kilometres (7,650 to 8,200 nautical miles).
• The cabin is illuminated by energy-efficient, light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Flight attendants can customize onboard lighting in the sky-like ceiling, simulating bright daylight or a restful night sky.
• Designed to accommodate a variety of different carry-on bags, the 787’s overhead bins are the largest in the industry.
• While the 787 cruises at an altitude of close to 13,100 metres (43,000 feet), the cabin altitude feels like 1,830 metres (6,000 feet) to passengers on board.
• Composite materials make up 50 per cent of the primary structure of the 787, including the fuselage and wing.
• The 787 travels at an average speed of Mach 0.85, a similar speed as today’s fastest twin- aisle planes.
• The airplane has a wingspan of 60 metres (197 feet) and measures in at 57 metres (186 feet) in length, 17 metres (56 feet) in height, with a total cargo capacity of 125 metre3 (4,400 feet3), and a maximum takeoff weight of 227,930 kilograms (502,500 pounds).
• The 787 features new engines from General Electric and Rolls-Royce that represent nearly a two-generation jump in technology.

Image: YVR/Ben Nelms

Source/Images: Vancouver International Airport/Ben Nelms