Boeing announces launch of new Dreamliner to cheers, orders

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PARIS -- Boeing announced the third member of the 787 airplane to oohs and ahhs Tuesday at the 2013 Paris Air Show.

More than 350,000 visitors are expected to attend the annual Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport, making it one of the most well-known venues in the world for the local airline manufacturer to debut its new model.

The new 787-10, the latest member in the Dreamliner family, has the capacity to fly up to 7,000 nautical miles - covering more than 90 percent of the world's twin- Boeing announced. The airplane also features 300 to 330 seats for passengers, one of the largest in the sky. Officials with Boeing called the new jet one of the "most-efficient" airplanes in history.

Courtesy Boeing

"The airplane's operating economics are unmatheced and it has all the incredible passenger-pleasing features that set the 7878 family apart as truly special," Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner said in a release.

Design of the 787-10 has already started at Boeing, and international partners will be involved in detailed design in the months ahead. Final assembly and flight test of the 787-10 are set to begin in 2017, with first delivery targeted for 2018.

The second member of the family, the 787-9, is in final assembly in Everett, Wash., and is set to make its first flight later this year.

Commitments for 102 airplanes from five airlines across the world set the airplane to a strong debut. Air Lease Corporation announced a commitment to purchase 30 787-10 airplanes; GE Capital Aviation Services, with 10; International Airlines Group / British Airways, with 12 subject to shareholder approval; Singapore Airlines, with 30 and United Airlines, with 20 airplanes.