THE Dreamliner has arrived in Glasgow ahead of its maiden flight from the city.

The revolutionary pass-enger plane has been put through its paces with pilots practising their take-off and landings, and the Evening Times was there to capture the flying sessions.

Glasgow is the only Scottish airport chosen by Thomson Airways to operate the new Boeing 787 Dream-liner aircraft which will take holidaymakers on weekly long-haul flights to Cancun in Mexico, and Sanford in Florida.

The inaugural flight to Mexico should have jetted out weeks ago with up to 250 passengers on board but was cancelled when aviation regulators around the world grounded the global fleet following incidents.

It's thought the Glasgow delays have cost airline chiefs up to £50,000 in compensation and now they are determined their maiden flight out of the city hub on Monday takes off without a hitch.

Chris Browne, MD of Thomson Airways, said: "It's been several months and years in the planning and after a lot of hard work I'm thrilled to celebrate the first flight from Glasgow Airport which is an important event in the company's history.

"We are proud to be the first UK airline to fly the Dreamliner and will operate this state-of-the-art aircraft on long-haul routes to Cancun and Florida."

Francois Bourienne, commercial director of Glasgow Airport, said: "We were delighted to have a sneak preview of the new 787 Dreamliner when it landed at Glasgow Airport as part of the aircraft's airport familiarisation training.

"Its early visit has created a fantastic buzz around the campus and the number of pictures of the aircraft on social media sites has been overwhelming. It promises a great start to its arrival next week.

"We are thrilled to be the first airport in Scotland to operate the aircraft and fully expect Dreamliner pass-engers to have an amazing time when travelling on this magnificent aircraft."

The plane – the most fuel- efficient in the world – has cost Thomson Airways almost £63million and is the first to be built almost entir-ely from plastic composite materials.

The airline has ordered a fleet of 13 Dreamliners for its long-distance flights. The 787 can fly 8000 miles without the need to land and refuel.

It also has bigger windows and uses more oxygen which can help to cut passengers' risk of jet lag.

gordon.thomson@eveningtimes.co.uk