Boeing warns of late April-June Dreamliner deliveries
Norwegian has put contingency plans into place after being warned by Boeing that there could be a delay in the delivery of its first 787 Dreamliner at the end of April.
Boeing has told the airline that its June delivery might also be affected.
Norwegian said replacement long-haul aircraft will be leased to ensure that flights to New York and Bangkok are operated as planned.
All passengers who have booked tickets will get detailed information about the flights once confirmed.
"I fully understand that customers who have been looking forward to flying our Dreamliner during the first weeks are disappointed by today’s announcement," said Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos.
"Although a potential delay is completely out of our control we would like to apologise in advance if the Dreamliner isn’t ready for Norwegian’s first long-haul flights.
"We will, however, ensure that our passengers get to New York and Bangkok as smoothly and comfortably as possible. We will also give our customers the option to change their flights to a later departure."
Thomson, the first UK airline to order the aircraft, is planning to put the 787 into service on flights to Mexico and Florida from May 1.
Earlier this week parent TUI said it was still working towards flying the Dreamliner on that date, but chief executive Peter Long has now confirmed that contingency plans are being put into place.
British Airways has ordered 24 787s, the first of which is due for delivery in May.
Click here to see today’s separate story on the latest developments with the Dreamliner battery tests.
by Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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