Aircraft

Boeing has cleverly stage-managed the rollout of its flagship 787 to occur on the date which – at least in the American calendar - exactly matches the aircraft’s designation, 8 July, 2007.

The event, which observers had suspected would be on 7/8/(0)7 for some time, is hugely significant for Boeing, which looks as if it could surpass the 500 orders mark by the time of the rollout, making it the fastest selling wide-bodied airliner in history.

The latest 787 order has come from Columbian airline Avianca, which has signed for 10 aircraft for delivery from 2010.

First flight of the 787 is set for late August and first delivery to launch customer All Nippon Airways in May 2008