WITH AIRY, vaulted ceilings, intuitive design specifications and style to spare, you almost forget you’re in an aircraft.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner made its Irish debut at Dublin Airport yesterday as part of the Dream Tour, which is showcasing the spacious aircraft across the globe.
The jet was on view to coincide with the 14th Annual European Airfinance Conference being held in Dublin.
The Dreamliner breaks ground in a number of areas, making it more environmentally efficient, quieter, and more comfortable for passengers, especially on longer flights.
One of the aircraft’s objectives is to bring people back to the joy of flying, said Michele Lodl, an American representative for Boeing.
“When we were designing the 787, we brought key psychologists to the table and we were able to work with them and our engineers to determine how we could best connect people to that magic of flight,” said Ms Lodl.
The result is an internal architecture that fosters a feeling of openness.
Windows are 30 per cent larger than those of a 767, allowing passengers to glimpse the outside world, even those seated in the middle of the aircraft. The ceilings are also much higher and the LED lighting that illuminates the cabin can be adjusted to simulate a sunrise or sunset.
More intuitive controls also allow for four ways to open an overhead storage bin and electronically dimmed windows within a matter of seconds.
Even the toilet seats raise or lower with the wave of a hand.
It’s not just aesthetics, however, that make this aircraft special, said Randy Tinseth, vice-president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
“I guarantee you at the end of a long flight you’ll feel better. This airplane is made of carbon fibre and reinforced plastic or composite materials. What that does is it allows us to lower the cabin altitude, so when this airplane flies, you actually have 7 per cent more oxygen in the air,” said Mr Tinseth.
“We have a system that not only takes viruses, but odours out of the air.”
There have been 860 orders from 59 customers to date, but no purchases from Ryanair or Aer Lingus as yet.