Aircraft

Boeing unveiled the first assembled 787 on 8 July, opening factory doors to view the twinjet after a one-hour ceremony before 16,000 people seated on the production line and thousands more watching by satellite around the world.

The 787 is intended "to make the world a smaller place and in so doing bring us all closer together", said Boeing chief executive Jim McNerney.

The ceremony, narrated by retired US news journalist and author Tom Brokaw, opened with a procession of the 787's airline customers, with an executive accompanied by a flight attendant.

The ceremony was joined by live feeds from Boeing production sites in South Carolina, Wichita, Japan and Italy, reflecting the 787's broad global supply chain.

The 787 has amassed 677 orders by its roll-out date, an unprecedented feat for a new airliner programme.

Entering the hangar bay, guests were walked past positions for the second aircraft's centre fuselage and wing that are now being prepared for final assembly.