Tuesday June 23, 09:48 PM
Boeing delays Dreamliner for fifth time
By Rob Lever
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Boeing Tuesday delayed the first flight and delivery of its 787 Dreamliner to reinforce the structure of the aircraft, the latest setback in a program seen as a key to the aerospace giant's future.
Boeing (NYSE: BA - news) said a new schedule for the first flight and delivery would be available in "several weeks" and that in the interim the 787 team will continue with other aspects of testing.
Boeing said in a statement the delay was "due to a need to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft."
It added that the need "was identified during the recent regularly scheduled tests on the full-scale static test airplane."
Scott Carson, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the postponement was the correct decision.
"Consideration was given to a temporary solution that would allow us to fly as scheduled, but we ultimately concluded that the right thing was to develop, design, test and incorporate a permanent modification to the localized area requiring reinforcement," Carson said.
Boeing executives said the fix does not represent a fundamental problem with the carbon-fiber composite material from which the airplane is constructed.
"Composites are the right material," said Pat Shanahan, head of airplane programs. "We will correct this situation and do it with both care and urgency."
Boeing had planned for the much-delayed Dreamliner to have its maiden flight by June 30 on a schedule that would allow delivery of the plane to first customer, All Nippon Airways (Frankfurt: 861920 - news) (ANA), in the first quarter of 2010.
The Boeing statement said a preliminary analysis indicated that flight test could proceed this month as planned, and last week Boeing officials said the maiden flight was on schedule.
"However, after further testing and consideration of possible modified flight test plans, the decision was made late last week that first flight should instead be postponed until productive flight testing could occur," the company said.
This marked the fifth delay for the Dreamliner, already nearly two years behind the initial schedule.
The new delay is bad news for Boeing, which is facing fierce competition in the aviation market from Airbus (Paris: NL0000235190 - news) , a unit of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.
Airbus has begun working on a new long-range A350 plane aimed at competing with the Dreamliner, expected to fly in mid-2013.
Boeing says it has 865 orders from 56 airlines for the cutting-edge plane, claiming it is the "fastest-selling all-new jetliner in aviation history" but the delays have led to some cancellations.
The 787 Dreamliner is the company's first new model in more than a decade and features 50 percent plastic composites, compared with 12 percent on its 777s, helping lower fuel consumption.
According to Boeing, the 787 will use 20 percent less fuel than similarly sized airplanes, reducing emissions by a similar amount.
Boeing said it would update its financial guidance to reflect any impact of these changes when the company issues its second quarter 2009 earnings report in July.
Boeing shares fell 6.46 percent to close at 43.87 dollars.
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