National carrier Air New Zealand has upgraded its order for four Boeing 787-8 aircraft to the larger 787-9 model, the companies said on Friday.
The 787-9 would carry up to 280 passengers, 30 more than the earlier model, on routes of 8,600 to 8,800 nautical miles. Air NZ said it aimed to have the 787s operating by 2010/11.
"Being the first airline to introduce the 787-9 aircraft will enable Air New Zealand to provide a superior, first-to-market experience for our customers," said Air New Zealand Chief Executive Rob Fyfe in the statement.
The upgrade will cost the airline about USD$120 million extra at list prices, although airlines normally negotiate discounts. The 787-9 aircraft has an airframe price of USD$183 million compared with USD$148 million to USD$158 million for each of the 787-8 aircraft, according to Boeing's web site.
Boeing said the new plane had 20 percent better fuel efficiency than aircraft of similar size.
Air New Zealand said it had also decided to use new generation Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines for the 787 aircraft.
The airline has been upgrading its long-haul fleet as part of a recovery from near-collapse in 2002, spending around NZD$1.6 billion (USD$1 billion) on 10 Boeing aircraft and 15 Bombardier Dash Q300 planes.
