Boeing handed over the newest member of the 787 family—the 787-10—to launch customer Singapore Airlines (SIA) during a ceremony Sunday evening at the manufacturer's South Carolina production facility. The delivery of 787-10 9V-SCA, celebrated before 3,000 Boeing employees and their guests, SIA and Rolls-Royce executives, and other dignitaries, follows U.S. FAA type certification on January 22.

With the delivery, SIA Group becomes the first to operate all three members of the 787 family, which also includes the original -8 and the -9. “[The 787-10] will be an important element in our overall growth strategy, enabling us to extend our network and strengthen our operations,” SIA CEO Goh Choon Phong said during the ceremony, adding the model will serve as a platform for the airline to debut a “new regional cabin product” that will involve two classes seating 36 in business class and 301 in economy class. The airline plans to unveil that product later in the week, he added.

SIA, which has placed firm orders for 49 of the new model, plans to begin operations with the aircraft in May on a route to Osaka, Japan. The airline is adding a second route to Perth, Australia, also in May, using the 787-10.

In concert with those plans, Boeing has accelerated production of SIA-bound 787-10s, taxiing two more to the flight line ready for delivery. In fact, Boeing displayed the number three SIA 787-10, 9V-SCC, as part of the backdrop for a light show during the delivery celebration. Meanwhile, SIA 787-10s in the works included two more in final assembly.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Kevin McAllister said the delivery builds on a 45-year relationship with SIA. “This combination of our 787 family will allow SIA to put the right airplane on the right route for their growth,” he added.

SIA has chosen the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Ten to power its 787-10s. The GEnx-powered model awaits U.S. FAA approval before scheduled first delivery to United Airlines in the second half of the year.  

The largest of the three 787 models, the 787-10 measures 18 feet longer than its -9 sibling. The additional length gives the 787-10 fourteen percent more passenger-carrying capability and 13 percent more cargo capacity. It gained its length through the addition of five frames in front of the wing and four frames aft of the wing. Range accounts for another difference between the -10 and the -9; the -9 takes the crown for the longest legs at 7,635 nm, while the -10 flies 6,430 nm.

But beyond the size/range capabilities, the -9 and -10 nearly mirror each other, featuring 95 percent parts commonality. The commonality not only provided for an uneventful flight-test campaign that involved three flight-test airplanes, but also a smooth incorporation of the new member into the production line at Boeing’s plant in North Charleston, South Carolina.

The South Carolina plant produces the carbon-fiber aft section for the 787 family and assembles the mid-section, which includes sections shipped from Italy and Japan. While Boeing splits final final assembly of the -8 and -9 models between Boeing South Carolina and the company’s plant in Everett, Washington, the -10 gets built fully in South Carolina, mainly because its center fuselage section won't fit aboard Boeing’s Dreamlifter fleet. Carrying three times the capacity of the 747-400 freighter, the Dreamlifters fly aircraft and components to and from Everett and North Charleston from around the world.

Dan Mooney, vice president of engineering for Boeing's South Carolina design center, noted that the full production capability makes the South Carolina plant the only site with complete “freezer to flight” operations from fabrication of the raw materials to delivery.

For Boeing South Carolina, the delivery marks a major milestone for the location, becoming the site’s first delivery of a new model designation. Delivery ceremonies for the inaugural -8 and -9 took place in Boeing’s Everett location.

The 787-10 delivery marked the culmination of an evolution at the Boeing South Carolina site, which did not exist a decade ago. After purchasing the former Vought Aircraft facilities in 2009, Boeing has poured $2 billion into the location and increased its footprint there from the original 240 acres to 884 acres and increased employment to 7,000. The acreage provides considerable room for growth, and Boeing hasn't yet specified its plans for nearly half of it.

For now, Boeing is concentrating on increasing its production numbers for the 787 family from the 12 per month this year to 14 per month next year. The 14-build plan represents the combined total for both Everett and South Carolina. Having collected orders and commitments for 211 airplanes from 11 customers, the -10 will no doubt help support that increase, having pushed the total order tally for the 787 family to 1,320 airplanes from 71 customers.