At long last, Boeing hands over 787 Dreamliner (photos)
At a celebration attended by thousands of company employees and partners, the aviation giant completes a years-long journey, delivering the first of its next-generation airplanes to its launch customer, All Nippon Airways.
Daniel Terdiman
Daniel Terdiman is a senior writer at CNET News covering Twitter, Net culture, and everything in between.
EVERETT, Wash.--At long last, Boeing has delivered its first 787 Dreamliner to its launch customer, All Nippon Airways (ANA). After delays of more than three years, the company is surely thinking that it's better late than never. On Monday morning, the company hosted thousands of its own employees and those of partners at a hand-over celebration.
With thousands of people milling around outside Boeing's giant assembly facilities in Everett, Wash., at the celebration of the first delivery of the 787 Dreamliner, two of the next-generation planes painted in the livery of launch customer ANA are seen with hundreds of people near and around them.
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Plane and the crowd
As part of the celebration, Boeing had hundreds of employees escort an ANA Dreamliner toward the main crowd.
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787 and employees
It was all smiles despite steady rain at the celebration.
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Waving
Responding to cues to wave, employees cheered on the first delivery event today in Everett, Wash.
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Gathering for the event
Hundreds of people were already on hand for the celebration an hour before festivities officially began.
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Handing over the key
"When you buy a car, you get a key," said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, to ANA CEO Shinichiro Ito. "When you buy an airplane, you get a really big key."
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Thousands around the plane
Thousands of Boeing employees took the opportunity to check out the completed ANA 787 Dreamliner.
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Signing the papers
Albaugh and Ito formally sign the papers completing the handover of the first 787 Dreamliner by Boeing to ANA.
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Under the 787
Employees gather underneath a 787 Dreamliner at the handover celebration today morning.
