KPLU Local News
(2010-08-27)
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Boeing 787 production has been marked by delays, as have delivery timelines.
AP Photo.
It was originally promised to be ready for its first customer nearly two and a half years ago. Now the Dreamliner's delay is stretching to almost 3 years.
Engine maker Rolls Royce said it had to shut down temporarily for repairs after a 787 test engine blew apart on a stand in its factory.
"That engine was designated to go onto one of our airplanes for flight test," says Boeing spokesman Jim Proulx.
"And so we need to get another engine for that and the schedule is such that it's going to cause some slip."
Now the aerospace giant says mid-February is the earliest it could have the first Dreamliner ready.
The latest delay extends Boeing's estimate for delivery to launch customer All Nippon Airlines by about a month. In July, Boeing had already warned that problems with suppliers' workmanship on the horizontal stabilizer and instrumentation delays could push first delivery into the first weeks of next year.
Boeing says the schedule revision will not affect the company's anticipated earnings. It still has orders for 847 Dreamliners on the books.
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