Dreamliner orders approach 500

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, February 11, 2007

In the past week, the Boeing Co. apparently picked up 21orders for its 787s, bringing the Dreamliner’s lifetime order tally to 473. The orders aren’t reflected on Boeing’s Web site, but Bob Noble, director of Boeing’s Global partners, noted the new total at an aerospace conference Monday. The orders come from at least two new customers, giving Boeing a total of 38.

“We must be doing something right,” Noble said.

Only Boeing’s 737 Next Generation program comes close to Dreamliner’s order pace, according to a presentation last week by Scott Carson, chief executive of Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes. The revamped 737 jets hit the 500-order mark roughly 36 months after the program’s launch.