Jet Aviation Basel, Switzerland, announced it signed a letter of intent with its first client to book a slot for the VIP completions of a Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner. Scheduled for its first flight later this year with entry into service planned for late 2010, the aircraft should reach the Basel facility in 2011 and undergo completions for 15 to 18 months before delivery to the undisclosed client.

Jet Aviation Basel said in a statement it has completed several significant projects for this confidential client within the last decade, including the interior of a VVIP wide-body aircraft.

Norbert Max, senior vice president and general manager at Jet Aviation Basel, added that the company has been working closely with Boeing to become familiar with the aircraft's advanced design and new composite material. Boeing has announced that up to 50 percent of the 787-9's primary structure, including its fuselage and wings, will be made of composite materials. Jet Aviation Basel has been working on an interior package to suit the aircraft for over two and a half years.

In standard passenger configuration, the 787-9 will carry up to 290 passengers on routes as long as 8,500 nautical miles. The new aircraft also is designed to offer improved fuel efficiency, using 20 percent less fuel than similarly sized aircraft, and to travel at speeds comparable to those of today's fastest wide bodies, Mach 0.85.