"This is an important step forward," says Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 programme, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We are very pleased with the results we have achieved so far. The airplane has been performing as we expected."

Since the first flight in mid-December, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner programme has conducted 15 flights. Pilots have taken the aircraft to an altitude of 30 000 ft (9144 m) and a speed of Mach 0.65. Nearly 60 hours of flying have been completed. Initial stall tests and other dynamic maneuvers have been run, as well as an extensive check-out of the aircraft's systems.

In the weeks ahead, the team will continue to expand the flight envelope at which the 787 Dreamliner will operate to reach an altitude of more than 40 000 ft (12 192 m) and a speed of Mach 0.85. Subsequent testing will push the aircraft beyond expected operational conditions.

First delivery is planned for the fourth quarter of 2010.