787 to fly by end of 2009 – says Boeing customer

There are a couple of reports out today that indicate Boeing plans to fly its delayed 787 Dreamliner by the end of the year.

Citing “sources familiar with schedule,” FlightBlogger has this story, which puts first flight in late November or early December with first delivery in late 2010.

That timeline would be consistent with the schedule reportedly given by Boeing to Qantas’ chief executive Alan Joyce, laid out in this report in The Australian. Joyce says that Boeing told him last week that the 787 will fly by year’s end.

That’s the second time a 787 customer has said publicly the Dreamliner will fly this year. In late July, Qatar Airline’s CEO also told the press that he has been led to believe the plane will fly by the end of December.

However, just yesterday, another report alleges the 787 will be delayed another two years. Peter Cohan, who wrote a book about Boeing's Jim McNerney, followed up with another report today with additional details about possible problems with the 787's electrical systems.

Boeing hasn’t yet released a revised 787 schedule, saying only that it will do so by the end of September. The Dreamliner originally was slated to fly in late summer 2007.