Boeing will retire and decommission ZA002, the company's second 787 test aircraft, having flown the majority-composite jet to its Palmdale, California facility on 7 February, the company confirmed.

ZA002 made it inaugural flight on 22 December 2009, week after ZA001. The first test aircraft was retired in December.

The second 787 was painted in the livery of launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA) for its life as a test aircraft.

ZA002, a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 powered 787, suffered an in-flight fire in November 2010 while on final approach to Laredo, Texas, which delayed the 787's service entry by an additional six months while software and hardware fixes were developed.

In July 2011, ZA002 was the first 787 to visit ANA in Japan to undergo service-ready operational validation trials.

Boeing determined in August 2009 the first three 787s had no commercial value, and their costs would be recorded as research and development expense.

ZA003 was repainted following its role as Boeing's interior certification aircraft to serve as a marketing example for the company's global Dream Tour.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news