28 August 2009

Boeing names new Dreamliner date

SEATTLE -The first flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will take place by the end of 2009, the US planemaker has announced.

Boeing also said it hoped to deliver the first plane for service in the last quarter of 2010.

There have been a series of delays in the development of the aircraft, and it is now running almost two years behind its original schedule.

Boeing chairman Jim McNerney said, "The design details and implementation plan are nearly complete, and the team is preparing airplanes for modification and testing."

The delay was partly caused by an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft which needed to be reinforced, Boeing added.

The latest delay in the project, announced in June this year, was the fifth time the launch had been put back.

Boeing hopes to be making 10 of the 787 planes a month by the end of 2013.

The company also revealed that it had received 13 new orders for 787s between April and June, but that airlines had cancelled 41 others.

Overall, Dreamliner orders have reached 850 aircraft.

• PRINT
• SEND TO A FRIEND
• SHARE

Post your comment

Your Comments

, be the first to post a comment.
Your email:

Your comment title:


Your comment:

Email other comments made to this story

5 characters