"The maiden flight of the 787 Dreamliner represents a great accomplishment for Boeing and the Italian and international aeronautics industry", commented Giorgio Brazzelli, Chairman of Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica company. “This event is a source of great satisfaction for Alenia Aeronautica, which, by producing in its Grottaglie plant a very important fuselage section, has made a significant contribution to this programme that signals the launch of a new generation for civil aircraft”. Giovanni Bertolone, Chief Executive Officer of Alenia Aeronautica, said: “The maiden flight of the 787 Dreamliner has a particular significance for our company, which has made a strong commitment to the 787 and invested heavily in the programme from the start. Production in Italy for the 787 programme benefits from – and will continue to benefit from – the integration of the competencies and activities of Alenia Aeronautica’s centres of excellence in the country: in particular, the Pomigliano d’Arco (Campania) site for design, laboratory testing and the specialised production of certain primary structure components; the Grottaglie-Monteiasi (Puglia) site for the production of fuselage sections and the Foggia site for the production of horizontal stabilisers”.

The Chief Operating Officer of Alenia Aeronautica, Daniele Romiti, commented “We have reached many milestones during the course of the 787 programme, but the first flight is certainly one of the most significant. The 787 programme has been marked by an extremely high level of innovation and the close integration of the skills and services provided by all the companies participating in the project. In this global team, Alenia Aeronautica has without doubt played a crucial role through its centres of excellence in Grottaglie, Foggia and Pomigliano D’Arco. As always, these achievements are only made possible thanks to the skill, hard work and passion of individuals. I would therefore like to thank all colleagues involved in the 787 programme, and encourage them to continue their work with even greater determination.”

Participation of Alenia Aeronautica in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner programme

Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica company, participates in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner programme, which is currently the most advanced initiative in the civil aviation field, comprising the central and central-rear fuselage sections and the horizontal tail unit. Specifically, Alenia Aeronautica, as one of Boeing's main partners, has designed, developed and manufactured not only all the structural components of the aircraft under its responsibility, but has also implemented the infrastructure and defined the processes necessary for their production, thereby taking its own know-how in the field of composites to the most advanced levels of technological leadership.