April 24, 2012 - A GEnx-powered Boeing 787 Dreamliner made the first U.S. commercial landing in Boston Sunday afternoon. The flight launched a new nonstop route between Asia and Boston operated by Japan Airlines.

JAL took possession of two Dreamliners last month in Seattle and will soon open a second new nonstop Dreamliner route between Tokyo and San Diego.  

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a long-range, mid-size wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It seats 210 to 290 passengers, depending on the variant.

Boeing states that it is the company's most fuel-efficient airliner and the world's first major airliner to use composite materials for most of its construction.

According to Boeing, the 787 consumes 20% less fuel than the similarly-sized 767. Its distinguishing features include a four-panel windshield, noise-reducing chevrons on its engine nacelles, and a smoother nose contour. The 787 shares a common type rating with the larger 777 twinjet, allowing qualified pilots to operate both models, due to related design features. 

The Dreamliner belongs to a new class of efficient passenger planes made from advanced materials like composites and plastics that are stronger, tougher, and lighter than traditional metal alloys.  

GE developed a new high-tech engine for the aircraft, the ecomagination-qualified GEnx. Although the GEnx-powered Dreamliner is just entering into service, so many airlines ordered this engine-aircraft combination that the U.S.-made GEnx is already the bestselling engine in GE?s history.  

Like the Dreamliner, key parts of the engine such as the fan case and blades are made from lightweight, corrosion resistant composites that shave some 400 pounds off each engine. This helps airlines burn less fuel, fly further, and also faster. A Dreamliner fitted with two GEnx engines already set a round-the-world distance and speed records in its class last fall.  

?An aircraft body and its engines form a single entity,? says Ryo Ogawa, JAL vice president and cabin crew captain on the airline?s 787 flights. ?You can?t have one better than the other. The B787 and the GEnx engines are a perfect fit, balancing each other out beautifully.?