Air China is expected to take delivery of first of 15 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners on May 5, 2016, a source familiar with the matter disclosed recently.

The flag carrier's first 787-9 will be LN419 (ZB047), which will feature GE GEnx-1B engines. However, its registration number remains unknown

Air China placed its order for 15 787-8s in 2005 before changing the order to 15 787-9s in 2010 due to long-delayed delivery. The Beijing-based carrier estimated that the 15 787-9s will increase its fleet capacity by about 11%.

According to the source, seven 787-9 Dreamliners will be handed over to Air China in 2016, with 8 pending delivery in next two years.

The flag carrier, the first 787-9 operator in China, will fly the 787-9 Dreamliner on Beijing-Auckland route on July 1. The airline then plans to deploy its future 787-9s on routes to San Francisco, New York (Newark), Madrid, Sao Paulo, Montreal and Havana.

In addition, other two Chinese Airlines - Hainan Airlines and Xiamen Airlines are expected to take delivery of their first 787-9s on May 19 and December 6, respectively.

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