In an official statement, ANA said, "The decision to order more of the larger 787-9 variant will give ANA greater flexibility as it expands its international route network." The aircraft will be delivered from 2013.
An ANA Boeing 787.
ANA is the launch customer for the new Boeing wide body, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The airline ordered 55 aircraft in April 2004, and deliveries started in 2011 when ANA received its first Dreamliner in September 2011, the first Dreamliner to be delivered in the world.
ANA’s order for 55 aircraft consists of 36 long haul 787-8s and 19 787-9s. ANA will receive 20 787s by March 2013, and will receive all 55 aircraft by March 2018.
To date, ANA has taken delivery of seven -8s, which serve domestic routes and its long-haul Haneda-Frankfurt route.
With the new aircraft, the airline will serve new routes to mid-sized cities, namely Barcelona, Brussels, Boston, Buenos Aires, Charlotte, Denver, Düsseldorf, Madrid, Montreal and Miami. The carrier will introduce long-haul 787 services from Tokyo to Seattle and San Jose during the second half of 2012.
