Boeing 787 Dreamliner

[MIR 2]

Some recent progress...

 

1. Cockpit photos

 

2. Dreamliners Four, Five, Six and Seven

[GeO 0]

When the B787 going to enter into service? Any idea guys?

[MIR 2]

Third quarter of 2009

 

 

 

[EricD 0]

Boeing's Dreamliner powers closer to flight

 

Sunday, 22 June 2008

EVERETT: Boeing has completed the power-on sequence for the first 787 Dreamliner, marking a major milestone on the path to first flight this year.

 

Power-on is a complex series of tasks and tests that bring electrical power on to the aircraft and begin to test the electrical systems. The 787 is a “more-electric” plane with the pneumatic, or bleed air, system being totally replaced by electronics.

 

"The team has made great progress in bringing the bold innovation of the 787 to reality," says Pat Shanahan, vice-president and general manager of the 787 program. "There is plenty of work to be done between now and first flight, but with every step forward we grow more and more confident."

 

The power-on sequence began early this month with pretest continuity checks to verify the aircraft wiring. Then the Boeing team plugged in an external power cart and slowly began to bring full power into each segment of the system, beginning with the flight-deck displays. From that point forward, the pilot's controls were used to direct the addition of new systems to the power grid.

 

At each step of the testing, power is allowed to flow into one extra area and gauges are used to verify power levels.

 

"We are very methodical in ensuring the integrity of the aircraft's systems," says Shanahan.

 

An inside look at the power-on testing sequence is featured on www.boeing.com and newairplane.com.

 

A fuel-efficient mid-sized jetliner capable of serving on long-distance routes, the 787 Dreamliner is expected to enter revenue service next year after an extensive flight test program. Fifty-eight international customers have ordered nearly 900 787s since the program was launched in April 2004, making the Dreamliner the fastest-selling new commercial jetliner ever.

 

 

[LeeTZ 1]

Boeing's Dreamliner powers closer to flight

 

Fifty-eight international customers have ordered nearly 900 787s since the program was launched in April 2004, making the Dreamliner the fastest-selling new commercial jetliner ever.

 

Great !

[Mohd Idham 0]

I need to know when will she depart for the maiden flight ?

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing Sees First 787 Cancellation, Lags Airbus

 

August 8, 2008

Boeing has announced the first cancellation of an order for its delayed 787 Dreamliner, signaling that airlines may be getting impatient for deliveries of the new, fuel efficient plane.

 

The US aircraft maker, which updated its online order book on Thursday, also lags rival Airbus in the race for orders this year, as the flow of plane sales appears to have leveled off after three boom years.

 

In a joint statement on Thursday, Boeing and Azerbaijan Airlines said they had finalized an order for two single-aisle 737s and two twin-aisle, extended range 767s, worth about USD$450 million at list prices.

 

One of the 767s replaces one of the three 787s that Azerbaijan had ordered in February last year. The cancellation of one of the 787 orders is the first for Boeing's new plane, which has been delayed three times by problems with unfinished work from suppliers and shortages of some key parts.

 

The plane is now set for its first test flight in the fourth quarter and first delivery in the third quarter of 2009, about 15 months behind the original schedule.

 

Some airlines will now have to wait more than two years longer than originally expected for 787 deliveries, but Azerbaijan is the first to cancel an order.

 

"We look forward to operating the 787 and benefiting from its advanced performance features," said Jahangir Askerov, president of Azerbaijan Airlines, in a statement. "However, the 767-300ER is the economical and logical choice to fulfill our interim capacity targets."

 

Boeing's 787 was designed to supersede the 767, which was one of Boeing's best-sellers throughout the 1990s. The older plane has seen a resurgence of interest from airlines, especially in its freight version, as both Boeing and Airbus take longer than expected to introduce their new ranges of mid-sized planes.

 

The 767 has also been in the spotlight recently as it is the basic airframe Boeing will use in its bid to win a USD$35 billion aerial refueling contract from the US Air Force. That competition is to be rerun after government auditors found errors in the award of the contract earlier this year to Northrop Grumman and Airbus parent EADS.

 

Including the latest Azerbaijan deal, Boeing said it has 551 net firm orders for commercial aircraft so far this year. Earlier on Thursday, rival Airbus said it had 711 net orders as of the end of July.

 

Boeing won the sales race last year with an industry record 1,413 orders for 2007, capping three years of boom sales. Industry analysts expect orders to drop off slightly this year, as airlines scale back operations in the face of high fuel prices.

 

For the month of July, Boeing recorded only 70 new orders, down from 147 last July.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Gulf Air Orders 8 New Boeing 787s

 

September 4, 2008

Bahrain-based Gulf Air has firmed up an order for eight new Boeing 787s, raising to 24 the total number of new planes it is awaiting delivery, the state news agency reported.

 

The Gulf Arab kingdom already had an order for 16 Boeing 787s with an option to add eight more. The news agency did not put a value on the order, but all 24 were worth about USD$3.9 billion at list prices when the deal was struck in January.

 

State-owned Gulf Air said in April it had no plans to cancel its Boeing order after the plane maker announced a further six month production delay that had airlines lining up for compensation.

 

The 787 had been held up as Boeing made slow progress on assembling the plane and struggled to make suppliers perform.

 

The original 16 planes are due for delivery in 2016.

 

Gulf Air also announced a firm order for 35 single aisle and widebody aircraft from Airbus in May. That deal was worth around USD$4.5 billion at list prices.

 

Gulf Air is owned by Bahrain Mumtalakat Holdings, a USD$10 billion state-owned investment agency.

 

Gulf Air last year reduced its network and cuts its work force by about 25 percent, or some 1,500 jobs, after announcing losses of more than USD$1 million a day.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

LOT May Scale Down Boeing Orders

 

September 5, 2008

Poland's national airline LOT may not exercise its option to buy six Boeing 787 planes from Boeing as it battles financial woes, newspaper Dziennik reported on Friday giving no sources.

 

LOT has an option to buy six long-haul Dreamliners between 2012 and 2019 and could save up to USD$180 million by selling it, the daily said.

 

The Polish carrier, which last month warned it needed immediate restructuring to avoid a possible cash crunch, will stick to another USD$1.6 billion contract to buy eight 787s due for delivery in 2009-2011, the newspaper said.

 

A LOT spokesman declined to comment.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

JAL Sticks With Boeing 787 Despite Further Delay

 

September 17, 2008

Japan Airlines said on Wednesday it expects to receive its first Boeing 787 aircraft in October 2009, instead of the initial plan for this August.

 

JAL, one of Boeing's most loyal customers, also said there is no change in its plan to buy 35 of the 787 Dreamliners, with an option for 20 more.

 

The airline said it expects to introduce the 35 787s by March 2017, a three year delay from the prior plan.

 

The announcement came weeks after JAL said it was worried about the possibility of a prolonged strike at Boeing. A strike by machinists has halted production at Boeing's Seattle-area plants, threatening a further delay to the delivery of the 787 and other planes.

 

JAL said on Wednesday it would introduce 11 Boeing 777 and 767 aircraft from 2010 to March 2012 to compensate for the 787 delays.

 

Boeing has had a dominant presence in Japan, with the country's airlines having bought almost all their planes from the US aircraft maker.

 

But it was reported in February that JAL was considering buying Airbus's midsize A350 XWB planes following production delays to the 787.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

ANA Announces Delay For Boeing 787

 

September 25, 2008

Japan's All Nippon Airways said it expects to receive its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner in August 2009, 15 months later than originally planned due to production delays at Boeing.

 

ANA, Japan's second-largest airline after Japan Airlines, said it still planned to buy 50 of the 787 Dreamliners but it could now take until March 2018 to put all of them in service, two years behind plan.

 

JAL made a similar announcement last week, saying it expected to get its first 787 in October 2009 instead of August 2008. JAL also stood by its order for 35 of the planes, with an option for 20 more.

 

Development of the 787 had been fraught with costly delays before nearly 27,000 Boeing machinists walked off the job in early September, stopping production at the company's Seattle-area plants.

 

ANA spokeswoman Mie Akiyama said the new delivery forecast does not factor in the impact of a strike, leaving open the possibility that the schedule could be even further delayed.

 

To compensate for the 787 delay, ANA said it planned to introduce 9 Boeing 767-300ER aircraft during the two fiscal years starting from April 2010.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing To Reassess 787 Japan Deliveries

 

September 30, 2008

Boeing said on Tuesday it would reassess its 787 Dreamliner delivery schedule for the Japanese market once an ongoing strike ends, raising concern that a prolonged production halt could further push back deliveries.

 

Japan's two biggest airlines -- Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) -- have already announced expected delays in receiving the 787 jets due to a strike by Boeing machinists that came on top of an 18 month delay in the shipment of the planes.

 

A prolonged strike by 27,000 machinists, who walked off the job on September 6, would seriously hurt 787 development and ripple through a global aerospace industry already strained by project costs, currency volatility and a faltering global economy.

 

"Frankly, we do not know when the strike will end," Randy Tinseth, vice president of Boeing's Commercial Airplanes division, told reporters in Tokyo.

 

"As soon as the strike does end, our operations will normalize... we then will be able to reassess our production, deliveries and program schedule for the 787 at that time."

 

Boeing has had a dominant presence in Japan, with the country's airlines having bought almost all their planes from the aircraft maker.

 

Japan's second-largest carrier ANA is also the launch customer for the 787, a mid-sized long-haul twin-jet designed to save fuel, and will be the first to fly the model.

 

The CEO of ANA got a 5 minute standing ovation from 15,000 Boeing employees when the 787 was rolled out in Seattle last July.

 

But because of the production delay, ANA is now expecting to receive its first 787 in August 2009 -- 15 months later than originally planned.

 

To cover its capacity needs until the 787 delivery, ANA is to introduce nine Boeing 767-300ER aircraft in the 2010 and 2011 business years.

 

JAL, one of Boeing's most loyal customers, also said last week that it agreed with Boeing to postpone the first 787 delivery for 14 months until October 2009 and introduce a total of 11 Boeing 777 and 767 aircraft to meet its capacity needs.

 

The 787 production delay also means a delay in a pay-back for partners involved in the program.

 

Boeing has teamed up with some Japanese manufacturers for the 787 project, with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries involved in the project.

 

Boeing Japan President Nicole Piasecki told reporters the 787 and other big manufacturing projects are complex and entail risks.

 

"At the end of the day this program has sold 900 aircraft. So we have every bit of confidence although the pay-back period will be longer," she said.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

American Air Orders 42 Boeing 787s

 

October 15, 2008

American Airlines ordered 42 Boeing 787 Dreamliners on Wednesday, worth more than USD$8 billion at list prices, providing a badly needed boost for the plane maker as it struggles with an uncertain economy and a five-week strike by assembly workers.

 

The order is the first American Airlines has made for widebody aircraft since 2001, acknowledging that its fleet needs to be overhauled, and signaling some confidence in the future of international air travel.

 

Boeing's carbon-composite and titanium 787 is designed to carry about 200 to 300 passengers on long-range flights using 20 percent less fuel than its predecessors.

 

American is buying the 787-9, the larger version of the plane, which it said would help in its international expansion under its planned co-operation agreement with British Airways and Spanish carrier Iberia.

 

American's order is a timely boost for Boeing. Orders for its commercial aircraft have slowed sharply as airlines worry about an economic downturn and its assembly workers have been on strike for more than a month, with no end in sight.

 

The 787 is already facing long delays due to production problems. Airlines -- which have now ordered more than 900 787s -- will have to wait up to two years or possibly longer than they first expected to receive their planes after the program was set back by underperforming suppliers and parts shortages.

 

American, the world's biggest airline by traffic, said it would take delivery of its 42 787-9s between 2012 and 2018. It also took out purchase rights on a further 58 787s that would be delivered between 2015 and 2020.

 

American is only the third major US carrier to order 787s, after rivals Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines. Leasing companies, Middle Eastern and Asian airlines have been the main customers so far for the new plane.

 

With volatile oil prices and concerns about a global recession, airlines have severely cut back on plane purchases in the last few months after an unprecedented three-year order boom.

 

Boeing last recorded a 787 purchase in its online order book in April. Etihad Airways' order of 35 787s, made at the Farnborough Air Show in July, had already been added anonymously to the order book in March.

 

Boeing has firm orders for 623 planes this year, not counting the American order, and is not expected to get close to last year's industry record of 1,413 net firm orders.

 

Airbus had 737 net orders at the end of September.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing Says 787 Delivery Delay To China Probable

 

October 23, 2008

Boeing said delivery of its new 787 Dreamliner to China "probably" would be delayed, but the ongoing strike made it impossible to say when passengers would be able to travel in the ultra-modern plane.

 

The company's latest quarterly profit fell 38 percent as a seven-week strike by its assembly workers wiped out almost a month of production at its Seattle-area plants.

 

Boeing has orders for almost 900 of the fuel efficient 787, 60 of which are from Chinese airlines, which were to be delivered beginning in the third quarter of next year.

 

"Because of the strike that is ongoing at Boeing there will probably be some delay to that," John Bruns, a vice president of China operations, said on Thursday.

 

"But we just don't know the impact yet," he said.

 

Industry watchers had expected another delay to the plane, which is already at least 16 months behind schedule.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Not really 787 news, but, hopefully it will effect the delayed delivery-dates:

 

Boeing, Union In Tentative Deal To End Strike

 

October 29, 2008

Boeing and its biggest union have agreed a tentative deal to end the longest strike at the plane maker's plants for 13 years and halt revenue losses estimated at USD$100 million a day.

 

At the fourth attempt, and with the help of a federal mediator, the union representing 27,000 assembly workers said late on Monday it had struck a four-year deal with Boeing that provided job security for its members and limited outsourcing.

 

News of the breakthrough came as a relief to aerospace companies worldwide, part of an increasingly globalized network of suppliers that has been the source of disputes over job continuity between Boeing and workers in the Seattle area.

 

Boeing, whose plants have been closed for 52 days, confirmed the tentative agreement, saying it had retained the flexibility it needed to run its business.

 

If the deal is ratified by the members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), it will end the longest Boeing strike in recent memory. The union walked out for 28 days in 2005 and 69 days in 1995.

 

Boeing will then almost immediately face contract talks with the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), which represents over 20,000 engineering workers. SPEEA said negotiations would start on Wednesday.

 

Chicago-based Boeing last week reported a 38 percent drop in quarterly profit due mainly to the machinists strike and withheld a financial outlook until the dispute was over.

 

Once the strike ends, Boeing is also expected to give an update on its 787 Dreamliner that could include fresh delays on top of the 16 months it is already behind schedule.

 

Following news of the provisional settlement, European aerospace stocks mainly outperformed a market rally that began in Asia following weeks of pressure from the financial crisis. Shares in one of Boeing's French suppliers, cabin doors maker Latecoere, rose 12 percent.

 

The industry has been squeezed by the Boeing strike just as the economic downturn worsens the plight of many airlines already weakened by high oil prices, casting doubt on aircraft demand.

 

Both Boeing and European rival Airbus have record backlogs, but Airbus last week suspended plans to increase production and froze its output to prepare for a downturn.

 

Boeing and Airbus say they expect to provide more financing to struggling airlines in the coming year.

 

Both Boeing and the machinists union had shown recent signs of wanting an end to the strike.

 

Analysts estimated Boeing was losing USD$100 million in revenue for every day its plants were closed, implying cumulative revenue losses of USD$5.3 billion so far.

 

Striking workers lost their usual healthcare benefits after one month on strike and were receiving a meager USD$150 per week strike pay from the union.

 

"I'm excited that hopefully it's a good contract," said Laura Gross, a 22-year old sealer working on Boeing's 777 widebody production line at Everett, near Seattle. "It's exciting to think we'll be getting something good out of this."

 

The deal, which has the unanimous support of the IAM's negotiating committee, will be voted on in three to five days.

 

The IAM said details of the accord would be withheld until they can be distributed to its members in all Boeing locations.

 

If approved it would end a saga of failed negotiations and public bickering. IAM members rejected Boeing's initial contract offer on September 3, and went on strike on September 6 after 48 extra hours of emergency negotiations came to nothing. The two sides came back to the bargaining table briefly in mid-October without success. The most recent negotiations started on Thursday.

 

(Reuters)

 

[James Gota 0]

Flash: Boeing 787 won't fly in 2008 (Update2)

By Jon Ostrower on November 4, 2008 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments ( | TrackBacks (0) |ShareThis

Citing the extended work stoppage of the 57-day IAM strike, Boeing says the 787 Dreamliner will not accomplish its goal of flying by the close of the fourth quarter of 2008.

 

Boeing adds that it will not set a new target date for first flight or first delivery while a full assessment of the programme's post-strike status remains ongoing. Boeing's last schedule called for delivering the first 787 to launch customers All Nippon Airways in the third quarter of 2009.

 

This latest delay is the fifth slip for the first flight of Dreamliner One since September 2007, and suggests the event could occur almost two years after the original schedule target.

 

Included in the assessment is a costly manufacturing error. Boeing acknowledges a need to reinstall slightly less than 3% of all fasteners throughout its production system.

 

The fix covers about about two dozen shipsets spread all over the world, which include the four flight test and two ground test aircraft currently in Everett, Washington.

 

"The issue is with installation of the fasteners, not the fasteners themselves,'' Boeing says.

 

As a result, the company is conducting a root cause analysis to determine the exact source of the problem. A preliminary examination indicates that unclear specifications for the fasteners resulted in misinterpretations at the time of installation.

 

As a result, Boeing is reworking those specifications and supplying the workforce in both Everett and the partner base with additional training to ensure this problem does not repeat itself.

 

Boeing is "not aware" of any other installation issues on the aircraft that would require a reassessment.

 

The company emphasizes that the 787 programme's quality control system caught this problem before any non-conforming parts were allowed to fly.

 

Boeing says the problem was discovered two weeks ago during a scheduled inspection of the airframe undergoing static testing in Building 40-23 at the Everett facility. As a result of the findings on the static airframe, Boeing began randomly sampling fasteners across the other flight test aircraft and found the problem to be widespread.

 

Of those 3% of fasteners, many are either too short or too long. This leads to small gaps beneath the head of the fastener, a design non-conformance requiring reinstallation.

 

Although the exact number of fasteners requiring reinstallation was not disclosed, Boeing has said that the 787 uses 80% fewer fasteners than an aluminium aircraft of equivalent size. The 767, slightly smaller than the 787, has roughly 1.8 million fasteners per plane. This estimate could place the number of required fastener reinstallations in the thousands across the programme.

 

Boeing emphasizes that no improperly installed fasteners will travel from supplier partners to Everett, minimizing the additional traveled work.

 

From http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/flightbl...t-fly-in-2.html

 

The sonner the 787 flies the happier I will be

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing Says First 787 Flight Now 2009 After Strike

 

November 4, 2008

Boeing said on Tuesday the first flight of its 787 Dreamliner would be pushed into next year, rather than its target of the end of this year, because of the 58-day machinists' strike that was resolved at the weekend.

 

The postponement, widely expected after the strike stopped all work on planes at Boeing's Seattle-area plants, is the fifth substantial delay to the first flight of the 787, which was originally targeted for late summer 2007.

 

The program has been derailed by errors and unfinished work from suppliers, a shortage of key parts and late design changes.

 

Some airlines have been told they will have to wait more than two years longer than expected to receive their planes.

 

Boeing is now assessing the effect of the strike and other issues on the 787, and will announce a new schedule when it is ready, spokeswoman Yvonne Leach said, without specifying any timeframe.

 

The 787 airframes that have been put together also have problems with wrongly installed fasteners -- or bolts -- in some places, said Leach. The company is working with suppliers on the issue, she added.

 

The combination of the strike and other problems suggest Boeing will not be able to deliver any 787s in 2009, against its last target of 25 deliveries.

 

Analysts have already anticipated that Boeing will push first deliveries into 2010.

 

"If deliveries are further delayed, it is possible that Boeing has to increase the compensation that it gives to the airline customers," said Macquarie Securities analyst Robert Stallard.

 

The company's stock has dropped 40 percent this year, hurt by the wide sell-off and concerns about falling orders and delays on the 787. Boeing's shares closed up 77 cents at USD$53.62 on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

It's becoming Boeing's most plagued aircraft ever by now

 

Boeing Set To Announce New 787 Delays

 

December 5, 2008

Boeing is expected to announce further delays to its new 787 Dreamliner next week, or shortly after, when it takes into account the damage of a two month strike by its machinists and a number of production problems.

 

The US plane maker has already said the first 787 test flight won't happen until 2009, missing its end-of-year target, and most industry-watchers think first deliveries of the carbon-composite plane won't take place until well into 2010, about two years after the original target.

 

The latest delay will be the fourth major schedule slip on the plane, severely testing the goodwill of Boeing's customers and the faith of Wall Street analysts, both of which championed the fuel-efficient plane early in its development.

 

But the main risk for Boeing is that a further delay will also seriously upset customer airlines, leading to deferrals of orders or outright cancellations.

 

A number of problems have beset the program, from shortages of bolts to hold the plane together, to software glitches and shoddy work from suppliers.

 

But the real issue, according to industry experts, is that Boeing's plan to outsource almost all production of the plane's structure and components has backfired because suppliers without Boeing's long engineering experience simply could not do the job well enough, and rushed to meet deadlines.

 

"It was over-ambition from the word go," said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst at consulting firm Teal Group. "The problem with an unrealistic schedule is that it keeps creating its own horrible ripples."

 

Boeing will likely blame the next delay partly on the strike by its machinists -- which recently shut down its Seattle area plants for 58 days -- and to continuing problems with suppliers, which seem to have multiplied.

 

"The more suppliers rush to meet an unrealistic schedule, the more difficult the remedial action needs to be to get things right," said Aboulafia.

 

The plane is also heavier than it was designed to be, which poses a problem for Boeing hitting the market-changing range and fuel-efficiency promises it made to customers, and could presage further delays.

 

"There remains a feeling among some within that Boeing still doesn't have its arms around the 787 program,'" said industry consultant Scott Hamilton in a recent commentary on the issue.

 

Boeing said at the end of the machinists' strike in early November that it would update all its delivery schedules, but it hasn't said when that would happen.

 

"We are currently conducting an assessment of our program schedule and when it is complete, we will communicate it," said the Boeing spokeswoman for the 787.

 

The airlines most affected are those at the front of the line for 787 deliveries, including Japan's All Nippon Airways, rival Japan Airlines and US airlines Northwest, now part of Delta Air Lines, and Continental Airlines.

 

Delta is reportedly looking to scale back Northwest's 787 orders and replace them with larger 777s, although Delta has not confirmed that or communicated any changes to Boeing.

 

As the global slowdown eats away at air travel demand, and the credit crisis makes it harder to get financing for new planes, many airlines are considering pushing back deliveries.

 

Southwest Airlines and AirTran have already deferred deliveries of Boeing 737s. Last week, Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways said it had asked Boeing to delay deliveries of some 777s and 747 freighter aircraft, as it grapples with the effects of the global financial crisis.

 

Those deferrals come as Boeing's other plane models are also suffering problems. In November, Boeing pushed back the passenger and cargo versions of its new 747-8 jumbos by several months, partly caused by scant engineering resources at Boeing's wide body plant in Everett, Washington, which is busy trying to fix problems on the 787.

 

Its best selling single-aisle 737 and the larger 767 and 777 lines have also been held up as it replaces thousands of nut plates -- small structural joining devices -- which were not properly coated by the supplier.

 

More details are expected on the issue when Boeing makes its announcement on new schedules.

 

The company's shares closed down 3.2 percent at USD$39.19 on the New York Stock Exchange, while volatile trading in its options suggested investors are bracing for dramatic share price moves. The stock hit a five-year low of USD$36.25 last month, and is down 56 percent this year.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Interesting document, published by AIRBUS btw !!!

 

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/flightbl...sons_learnt.pdf

 

Quite interesting !!!

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing Announces Further 787 Delay

 

December 11, 2008

Boeing's nightmare with its 787 Dreamliner continued as it pushed back its schedule for the fourth time on Thursday, making its new plane almost two years late and risking cancellations from angry airlines.

 

The US plane maker blamed a two-month strike by its machinists and problems with wrongly installed bolts on the first batch of planes, as it pushed back its schedule by three to six months.

 

It did not give details of the financial effect, saying it would update its financial outlook at an unspecified time in the future. Boeing shares fell 1 percent to USD$41.23 on the New York Stock Exchange.

 

The delay was widely expected in the industry, and may not be the last.

 

"Given its 100 percent failure rate in forecasting the 787 timetable so far, we expect airlines, suppliers and investors to be suitably skeptical as to whether this latest revised schedule will actually be achieved," said Macquarie Securities analyst Robert Stallard.

 

Boeing has been struggling with a number of problems assembling the carbon-composite jet, mostly due to late design changes, shortages of parts and substandard work by suppliers.

 

Problems on the plane were aggravated by a 58 day strike by Boeing's machinists, which shut down the company's Seattle-area plants for most of September and all of October.

 

Boeing said the first test flight of the 787 would now take place in the second quarter of next year, and the first delivery in the first quarter of 2010. Before the strike, it had been aiming for the first test flight before the end of this year and the first delivery in the third quarter of 2009.

 

Under Boeing's original plan, Japan's All Nippon Airways would have taken delivery of the first 787 in May 2008.

 

The latest setback means first delivery is almost two years behind schedule, but later planes will almost certainly be more delayed, as Boeing struggles to match the ambitious production schedule it set out at the start of the program.

 

That has caused concern among customers impatient to fly the fuel-efficient plane.

 

"We were originally due to get them in early 2011 and wouldn't be surprised if we now don't get them until 2013," Paul Charles, director of communications for British carrier Virgin Atlantic said.

 

"We want to hear from Boeing as soon as possible because we're trying to plan our own growth in the future," he added. Virgin has 15 787s on order.

 

Russia's Aeroflot, which has 22 787s on order, said it was still waiting for guidance on a new delivery date from Boeing.

 

"We are waiting for that as soon as possible," Viktor Sokolov, deputy head of Aeroflot's press service said. "As for a possible cancellation of the order, we would address that if and when we get further notice from Boeing."

 

(Reuters)

 

Boeing's 787 Still Stuck On The Ground - Chronology

 

December 11, 2008

Boeing pushed back the schedule for its 787 for the fourth time on Thursday, putting the carbon-composite aircraft about two years behind its original schedule.

 

The fuel-efficient plane is the most successful project in Boeing's history, racking up 895 orders so far, worth more than USD$145 billion at list prices.

 

But repeated delays, caused by late redesigns, underperforming suppliers and a shortage of key parts means the plane has not yet left the ground and threatens to seriously damage Boeing's finances and reputation.

 

The following events show the slow progress of the 787:

 

2002 - Boeing drops its "Sonic Cruiser" concept, responding to airlines' calls for better fuel efficiency rather than extra speed.

 

June 2003 - dubs its new, carbon-composite plane the "Dreamliner".

 

Dec 2003 - approves an initial version of the plane, with the temporary name 7E7, the E standing for "efficiency".

 

April 2004 - officially launches the plane as Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) orders 50.

 

Dec 2004 - ends 2004 with 56 orders for the new plane, fewer than it had expected

 

Jan 2005 - gives plane official designation 787

 

Dec 2005 - ends year with 232 orders for 787s, for a running total of 288.

 

July 2006 - popularity of 787 design forces Airbus to go back to drawing board on its competing A350, relaunching it as the A350 XWB (extra wide body).

 

Dec 2006 - ends year with 160 orders for 787s, for a running total of 448.

 

Jan 2007 - unconfirmed talk that some 787 suppliers are falling behind schedule sends Boeing shares lower. Boeing CEO Jim McNerney says plane is on target for first test flight around end of August 2007 and first delivery May 2008.

 

May 2007 - starts to put together first 787 in Everett, Washington.

 

June 2007 - reports surface at Paris Air Show that 787 is up to four months late. Boeing says first test flight may slip to September 2007, while still on schedule for first delivery in May 2008.

 

July 8, 2007 - shell of first 787 rolled out in front of 15,000 ecstatic employees and customers at Everett.

 

July 25, 2007 - Boeing shares hit all-time high of USD$107.80, boosted by strong 787 orders. Company admits plane is running slightly behind in certain areas but holds to schedule.

 

Sept 2007 - Boeing puts back first test flight by about three months because of a shortage of bolts and problems with flight control software. Shifts flight target to mid-November to mid-December 2007, keeps May 2008 delivery target.

 

Oct 2007 - announces longer delay, due to continued production problems, pushing first test flight to end-March 2008 and putting back first delivery by about six months to late November or December 2008.

 

Oct 2007 - 787 program head Mike Bair replaced by Pat Shanahan from Boeing's defense unit

 

Dec 2007 - Boeing says 787 is sticking to revised schedule, ends year with 369 orders for the plane in 2007, for a running total of 817.

 

Jan 2008 - after two weeks of rumors, Boeing announces further three month delay due to problems with unnamed suppliers and slow assembly progress at Everett plant. Pushes back test flight to end-June 2008 and first delivery to early 2009, making plane about nine months behind original schedule.

 

March 2008 - company admits it had to redesign center wing box to make it stronger.

 

April 2008 - announces third major delay due to continuing problems with unfinished work from suppliers. Sets first test flight for the fourth quarter of 2008 and first delivery for the third quarter of 2009, about 15 months behind the original schedule.

 

June 2008 - Boeing completes "power-on" testing on first 787, bringing the plane's electrical systems to life. It is the first public milestone the company has hit on the program.

 

August 2008 - first cancellation of a 787 order, by Azerbaijan Airlines

 

Sept 6, 2008 - Boeing's assembly workers go on strike over contract terms, shutting down Boeing's Seattle-area plants. They return to work in early November after 58 days out.

 

Nov 4 - Boeing says first flight delayed by strike, will not happen until 2009.

 

Dec 11 - Boeing announces fourth major delay, due to the strike and continuing fastener problems. Says first flight now set for second quarter of 2009 and first delivery in first quarter of 2010, making the plane about two years late.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing delays 787 first flight to 2009 second quarter, first delivery to 2010

 

Friday December 12, 2008

Boeing yesterday confirmed that the 787's first flight will not take place until the 2009 second quarter, with first delivery to ANA pushed back to the 2010 first quarter, marking the fifth time the manufacturer has delayed the Dreamliner program.

 

The expected delay is necessary owing to the recent International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers strike and the replacement of fasteners in early production 787s, the company said. "We're laser focused on what needs to be done to prepare for first flight," VP-787 Program Pat Shanahan said. "We will overcome this set of circumstances. . .and we understand clearly what needs to be done moving forward."

 

Speaking yesterday through a translator at Star Alliance's annual board meeting in Chicago, ANA President and CEO Mineo Yamamoto said the carrier is very disappointed by the latest delay. ANA launched the 787 program with an order for 50 and the first aircraft originally was scheduled to be delivered in May 2008.

 

"The 787 has been delayed almost two years, so our medium-term business plan, whose core component was the 787, is no longer viable," Yamamoto told this website. ANA had planned to use the aircraft to add flights from Tokyo Narita to New York JFK and Frankfurt, but now the additional services will be postponed, he said.

 

While acknowledging that ANA's revenue and traffic have been affected by the economic downturn, he strongly rejected the notion that the 787 delay might be less serious in such an environment. He pointed out that in a down-revenue environment the airline must find cost savings and the 787 is 20% more fuel-efficient than the aircraft it is replacing. "From a cost perspective this delay is very regrettable," he said.

 

Boeing said a new delivery schedule will be unveiled following an evaluation of "the specific impact of this delay on customer delivery dates".

 

The manufacturer also yesterday reorganized its aircraft program leadership structure, giving Shanahan oversight of "all current production and development programs." He will continue to have "direct oversight" of the 787 program but also will take control of the 747-8 program. Scott Fancher was named VP and GM-787 program, taking on day-to-day guidance of Dreamliner production. He previously led the company's missile defense business.

 

Boeing also created a new organization called Supply Chain Management and Operations, which will be headed by Ray Conner, formerly VP-sales-Commercial Airplanes. The new unit will bring together under one umbrella Commercial Airplanes' supplier management, fabrication, propulsion systems and manufacturing and quality functional organizations. Marlin Dailey, formerly head of Commercial Airplanes' Europe, Russia and Central Asia sales, will succeed Conner as VP-sales.

 

 

[Ashmil Abd Ghani 0]

FAA Approves Boeing 787 Dreamliner Maintenance Program

EVERETT, Wash., Dec. 22, 2008 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the all-new 787 Dreamliner's scheduled maintenance program.

The scheduled maintenance program defines the maintenance tasks and intervals operators will use to maintain the 787 and is documented in the 787 Maintenance Review Board Report (MRBR). The report was accepted by the Maintenance Review Board, an FAA organization composed of specialists who review and accept maintenance requirements. This MRBR approval from the FAA is one of the many requirements needed for airplane certification.

"The MRBR approval is a result of the most comprehensive maintenance program development effort in the history of the industry," said Mike Fleming, 787 director of Services and Support. "It is supported by more than 33,000 pages of supporting analysis, as well as the participation of eight regulatory agencies, 25 airlines and 30 suppliers and partners."

Boeing has designed the 787 to be 30 percent less expensive to maintain than any comparable product. This savings is largely due to the 787 advanced design, the wide use of composite structure and the highly integrated systems architecture, which allow for fewer maintenance tasks and longer intervals between tasks.

"The 787 maintenance program is one important aspect that ensures the continued airworthiness of the 787 while reducing overall maintenance burden on the operator," said Justin Hale, 787 chief mechanic. "This program will enable significant operational efficiencies for airlines that fly the 787."

By requiring less maintenance less often than comparably sized jets, the 787 will be more available for revenue service, leading to significant financial and scheduling opportunities for airlines.

[mokhzani 0]

Completely unlike the 777's development program which is quite trouble free (not 100% of course)....

[Pieter C. 5]

First 787 to roll out for repaint in February, fly in April

 

Monday December 22, 2008

Boeing 787 watchers will see some "action" at the Everett plant by mid-to-late February, insiders say, with word from the factory floor indicating that the first aircraft, ZA001, will have all fastener issues resolved by the end of this month and will be rolled out for repainting at the end of February.

 

Repainting should be completed by March 2 and the aircraft turned over to flight testing. According to sources, Boeing has penciled first flight in for late April. The second flight test aircraft is expected to have fastener work completed by the middle of February, but apparently it will not fly until late July.

 

While first flight appears to be firming by the day, the certification program could be slowed by completion of the balance of the flight test aircraft. Boeing's original plan called for a compressed 10-month program with five aircraft, but it is not clear how quickly it can get those aircraft into the air.

 

However, the delay has given the company the opportunity to be well ahead on the balance of the certification program, 80% of which does not involve flight testing. Also, unlike other aircraft programs, Boeing and US FAA have agreed on all issues relating to 787 certification. The manufacturer is planning to brief analysts and media on Jan. 28 when it announces its full-year 2008 results.

 

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Air NZ Says Boeing 787 Now Delayed To 2013

 

December 24, 2008

Air New Zealand will have to wait an extra year to take delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and is still seeking compensation from the plane maker, it said on Wednesday.

 

Boeing announced on December 11 a fourth delay to the delivery of the troubled aircraft because of a strike by machinists and problems with wrongly installed bolts on the first batch of planes.

 

"Boeing confirmed yesterday a further 12 month delay could be expected with the first 787-9 aircraft to be delivered to Air New Zealand in the first quarter of 2013," the airline said in a statement on Wednesday.

 

Air NZ has eight of the planes on order, the first of which was originally due to be delivered around the end of 2010, and then delayed to early 2012.

 

The lightweight carbon-composite plane promises to cut fuel costs by 20 percent, but Boeing has found it harder than expected to put together the plane using its far-flung network of suppliers.

 

Air NZ said an order for four Boeing 777-300ER aircraft was still on track with delivery in 2010 and 2011.

 

(Reuters)