Newest BBJ DreamJet makes its debut at European show

The largest ever VVIP aircraft to appear at the event made a grand entrance on the static display today as the first privately-owned 787 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) - dubbed the “DreamJet” after the type’s commercial Dreamliner nomaclature - made its global debut.
The aircraft is set to be delivered to Chinese operator Deer Jet and expected to enter service in the late summer.
It is the first to B787 to feature a complete VVIP cabin. Two other 787s already in government service include on in the Gulf which is in airline configuration and the other in Mexico with a central VIP cabin but otherwise an airline cabin.
“This has been a remarkable partnership on a steep learning curve,” says Stephen Vella, chief executive of the project manager, Kestrel. “The project took 18 months from first touch to delivery.”

The DreamJet is designed to carry 40 passengers between any two points in the world in a calm and comfortable environment.
Designed by Pierre Jean Design Studio the cabin features soft colours and tones with no sharp edges . “This along with a quiet cabin and cabin pressure of 6,000 feet – make the 17h flight really comfortable, said Vella.
Speaking at a launch event, BBJ president David Longridge said the 787 BBJ is unlike any other business jet on the market. “If you do a range chart out of Geneva, just about the only major city it can’t do is Sydney. From the passenger’s point of view, number one, it’s fast with a Mach 0.85 long range cruise speed, so it’s the same as a Gulfstream,” he said. “When we launched the first BBJ 20 years ago we said it was three times larger than a Gulfstream. Well, with 2,415 square feet of cabin space, this 787 is three times larger than those BBJs.

“There are huge windows and a bunch of technology that makes it very different to today’s business jets. None of these are made with carbonfibre. None have electric brakes. There is technology on the 787 that literally is on no other aircraft,” he added.
Included in the new technology features is a smooth flight system that will reduce the impact of moderate turbulence. “All this leads to a much better flight experience for those really long haul missions,” Longridge said.
The DreamJet made the 5,000nm trip from the Greenpoint completions centre in Seattle to Geneva in 9.5 hours, cruising at 43,000ft at Mach 0.85 - with former BBJ chief executive Steve Taylor at the controls - and landed with enough fuel for another 3,500 miles according to Longridge.

The designe by Pierre Jean Design include a bedroom and private bathroom area off of a private corridor, there is the main VIP cabin and a separate super business class cabin with lay flat beds for guests. A third cabin area has also been designed for staff and crew.

The crew have their own rest areas but there are also self-serive areas incorporated into the design to keep passengers moving through the long flights.

In the 20 years since Boeing set up its dedicated business jets division, the airframer has sold 164 BBJs, most of them 737s, and delivered 162. It has taken orders for 10 BBJ versions of the 737 Max, with the first set to be delivered into completion in late 2018.

Boeing has sold 15 BBJ 787s in total, nine of which have been delivered to completion centres. Thirteen of them are based on the smaller 787-8, and two on the -9.

“We are working on a couple more deals,” says Longridge, who says Boeing is targeting “one to three” sales a year of its widebody range, which also includes the 777 and its 777X successor, as well as the 747-8.