Plane maker Boeing has unveiled its new 'green' passenger jet, the 787 Dreamliner, which boasts a series of fuel-efficient design features which have sparked huge demand.
The much-hyped aircraft was rolled out for its first public appearance at Boeing's giant plant in Everett, near Seattle.
The Dreamliner, Boeing's first new model in 13 years was designed using high-tech plastic composites instead of aluminium.
Up to 50% of the primary structure of the plane - including the fuselage and wing - are made of composites such as carbon-fibre, which reduce the weight of the planes.
'The airplane will use 20% less fuel for comparable missions than today's similarly sized airplane,' Boeing said in a statement.
The promise of lower fuel costs at a time of rising oil prices in a sector where profit margins are already thin has whetted the appetites of several key players in the airline industry.
Boeing, which aims to build 2,000 Dreamliners over the next two decades, has so far received 677 orders from 47 companies for the plane, which has a catalogue price of between $146m and $200m.
The plane will make its maiden test flight later this year before going into commercial service with All Nippon Airways (ANA) in May 2008 after the Japanese company placed its first order four years ago.
