What You Need To Know On Air New Zealand's Boeing 787-9

Boeing's first 787-9 for Air New Zealand has broken cover, clad in stunning 'all black' livery as befits the flagship of the Kiwi carrier's Dreamliner fleet. Most of its nine siblings will carry the more standard white-and-black treatment seen below.

Most of AirNZ's Dreamliners will carry this white-and-black colour scheme Image: Air New Zealand

But as slick as that livery is, we think you'll agree that this bold black beauty is even more eye-catching.

Here's a photo gallery of the Boing 787-9's first outing in its new stripe, courtesy of a Seattle-based and slightly sodden Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren at Airchive.com.

AirNZ bullish on the Boeing 787-9

The clock is now ticking on final flight tests ahead of the 787-9s handover to worldwide launch customer Air New Zealand in July.

Air NZ will roster the advanced passenger jet onto its Auckland-Perth route commencing October 15.

Flights between Auckland and Shanghai, as well as Auckland-Tokyo and Christchurch-Tokyo, will follow after the airline's second and third 787-9s are delivered in September and October.

Perth, Shanghai and Tokyo will be Air New Zealand's first three 787-9 routes for 2014Image: Air New Zealand

However, the airline's first 787-9 will also appear on trans-Tasman flights from Auckland to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane prior to its official Auckland-Perth inaugural.

The Boeing 787-9 is a 'stretched' version of the original 787-8 Dreamliner designed to carry more passengers over longer distances.

Air New Zealand played host to Boeing's 787-9 test aircraft in January this year as the next-gen jetliner underwent extensive testing, including a week spent basking (or should that be baking?) and then flying under the Australian outback's sizzling summer sun.

Inside Air New Zealand's Boeing 787-9

Each of Air New Zealand's Boeing 787-9s will see a three-class configuration of 18 seats in business class, 21 in premium economy and 263 in economy.

We've put together this quick video clip to showcase the seats.

The pointy end of Air NZ's Boeing 787-9 will see 18 of the familiar Business Premier seats already seen on the airline's flagship Boeing 777s.

The lie-flat business class seats are arranged in a 1-1-1 herringbone layout so that every passenger has direct aisle access.

The seat is fitted with a 'memory foam' mattress, duvet and two full size pillows.

Less familiar are the Premium Economy seats, with Air NZ choosing a more standard 'off the shelf' design instead of its Spaceseat (show below).

The 787-9's premium economy seats have been sourced from US seat designer Zodiac, with Air New Zealand calling them "a customised seat best described as Business-lite."

Arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration, the seats have a 41” pitch and 5” wide armrest, with a generous 9" recline, integrated leg rest and extendable foot support.

There are 21 premium economy seats in this stand-alone cabin, which also has its own dedicated bathroom facilities.

The bulk of Air New Zealand's Boeing 787-9 is given over to two economy cabins with all seating in a 3-3-3 layout.

This includes 14 Skycouch rows of three seats where the legrests and armrests flip all the way up to convert into a 'sofa-like' flat surface.

The Skycouch rows have a 33" pitch compared to the 31-32" of standard economy seats.

Air NZ's Boeing 787-9 seat chart shows (in green) the 14 Skycouch rows in the first economy cabin

The rest of the economy cabin will be fitted with a standard economy seat from Zodiac but customised to Air New Zealand's specifications including a slimline seat back for more space, sculpted upholstering and a more flexible headrest.