Marisa Garcia 
The second oldest airline in the world (by less than two months), 95-year old Avianca, Colombia, has taken delivery of its first 787-8 Dreamliner.
The airline, which aims to fly a younger fleet with leading-edge technology, structured the cabin capacity with 28 passengers in the Business class and 222 passengers in Economy.
“The addition of the first Boeing 787-8 to Avianca’s fleet is a milestone for commercial aviation and for our airline, which strives to bring the most advanced aviation technology to our passengers,” said Avianca President and CEO Fabio Villegas Ramirez. “With this aircraft, we continue to fulfill the dream this company has had from the beginning: To make better and better connections between Latin America and the world, while giving our customers more enjoyable flights aboard airplanes designed to provide the greatest comfort along with maximum operational performance.”
Avianca celebrates 95 years in the vanguard of techology, from the airilne’s Facebook Page
You can watch the video of Avianca’s It’s Because of You campaign here:
(Yes, AvGeek pals, that’s an A330-200, not a 787-8. The video was produced this summer and features here merely to illustrate the airline’s corporate branding strategy).
The Dreamliner is the fastest-selling twin-aisle airplane in Boeing’s history, with 58 customers ordering 1,055 787s to date. Numerous environmental, structural and aesthetic features which improve the passenger experience, green technology which reduces the aircraft’s emissions and reduces fuel consumption by 20%, and low maintenance and operating costs make the Dreamliner an attractive option for airlines.
“The 787 Dreamliner, with its high-efficiency, enhanced environmental performance and preferred passenger experience, is an ideal airplane for the Latin American market, and Boeing is pleased and honored that Avianca will use the 787 to modernize its fleet and delight its customers,” said Van Rex Gallard, vice president, Latin America, Africa and Caribbean Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We are excited to grow our partnership with Avianca for today’s fleet and for the future.”‘
