Boeing and Royal Brunei Airlines celebrated the delivery of the 787 Dreamliner – the first for the flag carrier of the Sultanate of Brunei and for Southeast Asia.

The airplane departed Paine Field in Everett Wednesday evening for a 6,540 nautical miles (12,112 km) non-stop flight home to Bandar Seri Begawan International Airport in Brunei.

“This exciting addition keeps passenger comfort and high quality service at the heart of our airline and is yet another effort to ensure our fleet remains modern and offers peaceful and tranquil travel,” said Dermot Mannion, chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines. “As a small airline we offer truly personal service, delighting our passengers with an authentic Bruneian grace to enrich their journeys.”

Passengers traveling on Royal Brunei Airlines will experience the passenger-pleasing features of the 787 Dreamliner such as larger, electronically-dimmable windows and larger overhead luggage bins. During flight the 787 is pressurized to a lower cabin altitude, has higher humidity levels, advanced air filtration and smoother ride technology to make the flying experience more comfortable and allow passengers to arrive at their destination more refreshed.

The 787 is the most technologically advanced airplane in the sky with composite materials making up 50 percent of the primary structure, including the fuselage and wing. This allows the Dreamliner to use 20 percent less fuel and emit 20 percent fewer CO₂ emissions than similarly sized airplanes.

“We are delighted that Royal Brunei Airlines has chosen to expand its fleet with five 787s,” said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The choice is a testament to the airline’s commitment to offer the best possible service to its passengers and to operate the most efficient airplane flying today.”

The 787 is scheduled to begin flying regionally to Singapore on Oct. 18, with long-haul service to London, via Dubai, set to begin on Dec. 1. Royal Brunei anticipates delivering on its promise of 100 percent Dreamliner long-haul service in the second quarter of 2014 when it will introduce the 787 on flights to Melbourne, Australia.

Boeing press release