International flights possible from Missouri

The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on Tuesday's
Fox 2 News This Morning

A plane landed in St. Louis yesterday afternoon that could launch non-stop international flights from Missouri into reality.

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which was designed by 50 St. Louis engineers, visited St. Louis as part of its six-month Dream Tour, according to KTVI's Fox 2 New This Morning.

Boeing's Web site, newairplane.com, says the energy-efficient Dreamliner uses 20 percent less fuel and costs 30 percent less to maintain than aircrafts of similar size. Fifty percent of the aircraft is made of new plastic composites, which makes long-range flights possible due to the excellent fuel efficiency.

"The 787 is designed to be more environmentally progressive throughout the product life cycle," says the Web site. "The airplane is manufactured using fewer hazardous materials, consumes less fuel and produces emissions. The 787 is also quieter for airport communities than any previous airplane."

Fuel efficiency in an airplane that seats fewer passengers is key in bringing international flights to cities like St. Louis.

"Now you can open up a 200-seat market that you couldn't have opened up before. You put a bigger airplane on [the market], you take more business risk; you got to fill all the seats," Michael Sinnett, a 787 project engineer for Boeing, told Fox 2 News. "...You could see from here to Europe — from here to the Far East. ... With close to 8,000-miles range it's almost unlimited what you can do."

Boeing's Web site says the Dreamliner is available to airline companies in two versions. The 787-8 can seat between 210 and 250 passengers and can travel between 7,650 to 8,200 nautical miles; the 787-9 seats between 250 and 290 passengers with a travel range up to 8,500 nautical miles.