Air India disaster is first fatal Boeing 787 accident

More than 200 people were killed when an Air India Boeing 787 bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India's western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Here are some details on the wide-body intercontinental jet:

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is one of the most advanced jets in service and experts say it has a generally strong safety record, with no previous fatal accidents. Boeing said it was aware of initial reports and working to gather more information.

The 787-8 aircraft involved in Thursday's accident was delivered in 2014 and is the smallest of three variants.

The 787-8 typically holds 248 passengers and the larger and longer-range 787-9 carries 296 people. The largest variant, the 787-10, which also has the smallest range, has 336 seats, according to Boeing data.

The twin-engined 787 comes with a choice of two types of engine, supplied by GE Aerospace (GE.N), opens new tab or Britain's Rolls-Royce (RR.L), opens new tab. The engines on the crashed plane were supplied by GE, which said it would support the investigation.

Boeing has sold more than 2,500 787s, including 47 to Air India. It has delivered 1,189 jets to airlines or lessors, but has been beset in recent years by production delays, adding to a broader corporate crisis at America's largest exporter.

The 787 first flew in 2011 and entered service in the same year after development delays.

Its creation marked a breakthrough in design, promising 20% greater fuel efficiency through the use of durable, lightweight composite materials and more electrical systems.

Its size, range and efficiency made it ideal for opening new routes, bypassing hubs served by jumbos such as the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 and helping drive both jets out of production.

Airbus followed suit by developing the A350 composite jet.

The 787 also pioneered a new way of building planes, outsourcing much of the structure and components to companies around the world and assembling the pieces in Everett, Washington, and later North Charleston, South Carolina.

But the shake-up led to problems in the supply chain and Boeing later acknowledged it had gone too far with outsourcing.

PREVIOUS INCIDENTS:

In July 2013, an empty Ethiopian Airlines 787 caught fire on the ground at Heathrow airport in London in an incident later linked to a short-circuit in an Emergency Locator Transmitter.

Also in 2013, regulators temporarily grounded the global 787 fleet following the overheating of lithium batteries on two Japanese planes in Tokyo and Boston, resulting in design changes to better contain the risk of thermal runaway.

In March last year, at least 50 people were hurt when a 787 operated by LATAM Airlines dropped abruptly in mid-flight from Sydney to Auckland. Investigators focused on an involuntary forward movement in the pilot seat.