EVERETT — At least two airlines say they’ve been told by the Boeing Co. that its delayed 787 Dreamliner will fly by year’s end.
The chief executive for Qantas Airlines said that Boeing officials told him last week the 787 will make its first flight in 2009, according to a report published Thursday in The Australian. That echoes the comments of Qatar Airways’ chief executive, who laid out a similar time line to Reuters in late July.
Similarly, on Thursday, FlightGlobal.com’s FlightBlogger site pegged the 787’s first flight for late November or early December, citing unidentified sources familiar with Boeing’s master 787 schedule.
In June, Boeing abruptly postponed the mostly composite jet’s first flight, which had been expected by the end of the second quarter. Although the company hasn’t provided a new schedule for the 787, it is expected to do so by the end of September.
The popular widebody 787 has encountered a long list of problems including parts shortages, production delays and structural weaknesses. When announcing the jet’s fifth major setback in June, Boeing officials said tests had revealed a need to reinforce the area where the Dreamliner’s wing and body join. They described the issue as “limited” and expected to release a schedule within several weeks.
Earlier this month, Boeing confirmed that, at the time, it also knew of a “minor” flaw in two of the Dreamliner’s mostly composite fuselage barrels, supplied by its Italian partner Alenia Aeronautica. Boeing had ordered Alenia to halt work on the fuselage sections until the issue was solved. Boeing said the fuselage problem, which did not occur on the test planes, was a typical development for a new aircraft program and would not have a significant effect on program costs or schedule.
Boeing’s stock jumped 2.8 percent, or $1.22 per share, to close Thursday at $44.74.
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