Chinese air hostesses pose in the business class of the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner of Xiamen Airlines at the Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport in Xiamen city, southeast China's Fujian province, 8 December 2016. Xiamen Airlines, a subsidiary of China Southern Airlines, Tuesday (6 December 2016) took delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in Seattle, the U.S. The 787-9 Dreamliner, Registration B-1566, touched down at Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport on the afternoon of December 8, Beijing Time, after a 16-ours' delivery flight from South Carolina's Charleston International Airport (CHS). Different from the three-cabin layout on 787-8, Xiamen Airlines' first 787-9 is equipped with 287 seats in a two-class layout - 30 in business class and 257 in economy class. Xiamen Airlines and Boeing held a grand ceremony to celebrate the delivery of the airline's first 787-9 Dreamliner in South Carolina. After familiarization, the brand-new Dreamliner will be deployed on North American routes, flying between Fuzhou and New York in February 2017. In July 2016, the airline ordered six 787-9s, worth US$1.4 billion at list prices. Delivery will be completed between 2016 and 2018. Xiamen Airlines is the only Chinese airline that operates an all-Boeing fleet to more than 220 domestic routes and almost 30 international and regional routes. The airline has become the only Chinese civil airline that has maintained profitability for 29 consecutive years.
