The Boeing Company’s troubled new aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, has completed its maiden flight, more than two years behind schedule.

The 787 Dreamliner is Boeing’s first new model in more than a decade. Almost half the Dreamliner has been constructed from carbon-fibre reinforced resin and light metals such as titanium, which means that it will use 20 percent less fuel than existing aircraft of the same size. It can carry approximately 300 passengers and will provide airlines with up to 45 percent more cargo revenue capacity.

Although Boeing launched the Dreamliner in 2004, production problems kept postponing the initial delivery date of 2008. The test flight was postponed five times. In the third quarter of 2009, these delays contributed to losses of more than one billion euros. 

However, Boeing says it currently has 840 orders from 55 customers. The first Dreamliner is scheduled for delivery to a Japanese airline, All Nippon Airways, at the end of 2010.

Photos of the 787 Dreamliner and its interior by jnsabino and marada (flickr)