Xiamen Airlines' first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, Registration B-1566, touched down at Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2016, becoming the third airline to operate the stretched Dreamliner in mainland China following Air China and Hainan Airlines.

Different from the three-cabin layout on 787-8, Xiamen Airlines' first 787-9 is equipped with 287 seats in a two-class layout - 30 in business class and 257 in economy class.

The Xiamen-based carrier announced the 787-9 Dreamliner will be deployed on domestic routes before serving long-haul North American flights, starting with Xiamen-Beijing route on December 10.