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The Boeing 787 has been earning money with launch customer All Nippon Airways for a year, and the worldwide fleet is gradually expanding as more airlines introduce an airliner that its manufacturer promises will revolutionise its customers ' networks.

After lengthy development and production delays, the Dreamliner programme is now building momentum. Six customers have taken their initial Dreamliner deliveries and the type is now flying with airlines based in the Americas, Africa and Asia. With some 800 of the aircraft type on order and production rates rising, the global fleet is set to rise rapidly.

ANA has always been in pole position on the programme, with its first Dreamliner originally due in mid-2008. It was eventually able to pioneer 787 revenue services in November last year. Local rival Japan Airlines joined the Dreamliner club in March when it received its first aircraft. Over the ensuing months, Ethiopian, LAN, Air India and United Airlines have all taken their first 787s. Qatar Airways, China Southern Airlines and LOT Polish Airlines are set to join the fray before the end of this year.

LAN Airlines ' boss, Ignacio Cueto, demonstrated the excitement that the new carbonfibre design is generating among its customers when he accepted his first 787 in August: "This is a landmark moment not just for LAN, but for all our passengers in Latin America and other countries the 787 will serve," he says. "The special features will allow us to further improve the travel experience for our passengers."

LOT is due to become the first European recipient of the 787 in November and deliveries to UK airlines Thomson Airways and British Airways will begin in 2013. Leisure airline, Thomson, which will be the first of the UK carriers to receive the Dreamliner, has launched a Twitter contest to name their first 787. The prize will be a free flight.

"If you spot that airplane, you 're asked to tweet an image or where you saw it, along with a reason you should get to name the Dreamliner," says Randy Tinseth, vice-president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

As the momentum builds for Boeing 's baseline 210- to 250-seat 787-8, work is progressing fast on the stretched 787-9 which can carry an additional 40 passengers.

Major assembly of the first 787-9 is underway at production partner Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan, which has installed door frames in the forward fuselage. This section is flown by one of Boeing 's curious looking 747 "Dreamlifter" freighters to the USA before final assembly of all the sub-structures takes place in Everett near Seattle next year. Air New Zealand is due to take the first 787-9 delivery in 2014.

ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS

The Japanese carrier has 13 787s in service and plans to have 20 by the end of FY2011/12, which ends on 31 March 2013. The airline 's total order for the Dreamliner stands at 55 aircraft.

ANA says that it will fly its 787s to any market with a demand for a mid-size widebody "as the 787 is a mid-size aircraft and does not necessarily need a bulky demand".

The airline 's current Dreamliner domestic destinations from Tokyo Haneda include:

Fukuoka

Hiroshima

Kumamoto

Kagoshima

Matsuyama

Osaka Itami

Okayama

Yamaguchi Ube

The Star Alliance carrier 's single international service with the Dreamliner is currently on the Haneda-Frankfurt route. Future domestic points planned for its 787s this year from Haneda include Sapporo and Miyazaki (both from 28 October) and Takamatsu (from 1 December). The subsequent international destinations from Haneda will be Beijing (from 28 October), Seattle and San Jose (from 11 January 2013).

JAPAN AIRLINES

The Oneworld carrier has placed four of the 45 787s it has on order into service and expects to have 10 in operation by March next year.

JAL 's Dreamliners currently serve international routes and the carrier has no plans to operate the aircraft domestically. The airline says it intends to use the 787 on long-haul international routes "where the aircraft 's fuel efficiency can be maximised".

Its 787s currently serve a single destination from Tokyo Haneda (Beijing) and three from Narita:

Boston

Moscow

New Delhi

Planned future destinations from Narita include:

San Diego (2 December 2012)

Helsinki (from March 2013)