An unlucky Boeing Dreamliner is finally on its way to its new owners after the first delivery attempt went tragically awry. In July of this year, the 787-10 was on the ground at Charleston Air Force Base-International Airport (CHS) and it collided with a smaller jet that was waiting to refuel.
The Breeze Airways Airbus A220-300 was the victim of the larger Dreamliner when its wingtip cut through the Airbus’ tail. Just two months later, the 787 is factory-fresh again and on its way to All Nippon Airways (ANA), as Flightradar 24 spotters have been tracking.
ANA’s Newest Dreamliner
The details on Planespotters.net regarding the jet’s history state that it was taxiing for departure on its delivery flight after completing final checks at the factory when the incident occurred. The 787’s registration is JA986A and the Breeze A220 damaged was tail number N247BZ. The A220 was almost as new, having just been delivered in March of this year, according to ch-aviation.
Breeze’s jet was not actually supposed to be at CHS at that time, as FlightAware information shows. The plane had diverted to CHS because of thunderstorms at the intended destination, Norfolk International Airport (ORF). The initial incident also inflicted minor injuries on two passengers, but no other details have been made available regarding the full extent of the damage, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
The 787 in question is the longest stretch variant and will be joining the steadily growing ANA fleet that is already 87-strong, according to Planespotters.net data. Shinya Katanozaka, President and CEO of ANA, remarked on the delivery of the first stretch Dreamliner:
“The added capacity of the 787-10 provides our passengers with the most innovative and memorable flying experience, while also delivering the lowest operating cost per seat and tremendous efficiency overall.”
ANA’s Growing 787 Fleet
ANA has been very happy with its fleet of long-haul, widebodies from Boeing since they first entered service in 2019. The carrier has been steadily replacing aging airframes like the Boeing 767 and 777s it has that are 15 to 20 years old with the more modern, ergonomic, and fuel-efficient Dreamliners. Below is a breakdown of the 787 fleet by variant, as ANA has invested in every size of the 
Boeing widebody.
|
Dreamliner Variant |
ANA Fleet |
|---|---|
|
787-8 |
34 |
|
787-9 |
44 |
|
787-10 |
9 |
The Dreamliner was Boeing’s first clean-sheet design in decades. Its innovative new features included composite aerostructures and highly efficient engines, but also major cabin upgrades. It has the biggest windows of any commercial airliner to create a pleasant natural environment during daylight and customizable LED lights to perfect the cabin ambiance when it’s dark as well.
The flexibility of the 787 has made it a hit with many airlines that fly long-haul routinely. Its capacity for high density or long-range routes is valuable for operators like ANA that have many international and transoceanic legs between capital cities. The fuel efficiency is also extremely helpful because when traffic is lower than expected or the planes need to be used on routes normally flown by narrowbodies, its fuel-burning penalty is far lower than other widebodies.
Breeze’s New A220
Breeze had just received the A220 as part of a batch of three aircraft in a purchase-leaseback deal with High Ridge Aviation (HRA) in March, 2025. Two more planes were scheduled for additional deliveries in the next month, April. Breeze has seen a rise in demand recently as it is gaining momentum in the US Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) market. The decline of its competitor Avelo Airlines over deportation flight boycotts has contributed to the improved traffic. Breeze has been taking over former Avelo slots in airports, as reporting by ch-aviation shows.
The jet that was struck in Charleston was produced nearby at the Airbus plant in Mobile, Alabama. There remains no update on the condition of the plane, per Planespotters.net, a very bad stroke of luck for Breeze as it works to ramp up its capacity while the market has an opportunity available for whichever carrier can fulfill the demand.
- IATA Code
-
NH
- ICAO Code
-
ANA
- Year Founded
-
1952
- CEO
-
Koji Shibata
Airbus established its first maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in Canada in 2024 but none have been officially set up in the US as of yet. The Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley is a final assembly line (FAL) but it’s unclear where the plane will be receiving repairs beyond the note that it was stored in Charleston after the accident.
