EVERETT – The Boeing Co. did not meet all of its June milestones in its effort to get the delayed 787 Dreamliner jet back on track.
After a series of delays to its new 787, Boeing outlined in April a set of accomplishments that investors could use to track Dreamliner progress. The company met a few of those milestones pegged for June: turning power on the first 787 and moving the “fatigue” aircraft to test position. But Boeing missed in its attempt to have the sections for its fourth 787 aircraft in Everett by month’s end.
A worker from Boeing’s 787 partner Alenia Aeronautica failed to follow procedures and damaged a center fuselage piece, said Boeing’s Lori Gunter, on Monday. The damage occurred not at Alenia’s site in Italy but in South Carolina, where Boeing and Alenia have a joint venture operation, Global Aeronautica. Although the piece has been repaired, Gunter did not have details on how delayed the part will be into Everett or how it will impact the 787’s flight test schedule.
Boeing workers in Everett piece together major 787 assemblies built in Italy, Japan, South Carolina and Kansas. The company aims eventually to put together one 787 jet every three days here.
As a result of the delayed center fuselage section, Boeing pushed back delivery of the fourth nose section from Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kan. This is not expected to cause problems with follow on deliveries from Spirit. Rather, Gunter expects the fourth nose section from Sprit to be in even better condition than originally anticipated.
Spirit would have met its expected ship date with a lower level of completion – though a level still acceptable to Boeing, Gunter said.
Boeing partners have struggled to send fully completed parts of the new mostly composite material aircraft. These problems coupled with assembly issues on the first Dreamliner in Everett have led to a 15-month delivery delay of the first aircraft. Additional deliveries have been pushed back, on average, 20 months.
The Chicago-based jet maker also had expected to have verified that the 787’s systems hardware and software work together well enough for flight testing. Boeing’s Gunter declined to comment on the milestone saying the company would give a detailed 787 update at the Farnborough Air Show in mid-July.
Boeing also has completed testing on the 787 wing in Everett. The company had not listed that among its June milestones back in April. However, during a media tour of the 787 line in mid-May, Boeing officials said they expected the wing tests to be wrapped up by the end of June. Gunter said on Monday that Boeing is close to doing so.
The fast-selling 787 has won nearly 900 orders since its launch.
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