Air New Zealand to play key role in the development of 7E7 Dreamliner

New Zealand engineers are going to play a key role in the future development of one of the world’s most controversial commercial aircraft.
Concerns have been raised about composite materials being used in Boeing’s futuristic dreamliner, which Air New Zealand recently announced it has decided to buy.
Now the airline has been asked to help devise ways to repair any damage.
More than half the new aircraft will be made from a carbon fibre composite and soem experts worry that the fuselage coul be damaged by ground handling equipment, damage that may be difficult to detect.
Boeing says it has used carbon fibre in its 777 aircraft for the past nine years, mostly in tailplanes, vertical and horizontal stabilisers and even floor beams.
Air New Zealand are fairly relaxed about the issue
The company already has experence dealing with composities in its present fleet and it has been asked to identify aircraft parts more prone to damage and develop new repair concepts.
Boeing has so far only received orders for 62 dreamliners, but it hopes to sel 3500 over the next 20 years, which could prove very lucrative for Air New Zealand’s engineering division.