EVERETT — The Boeing Co. made progress on two of its delayed jet programs this week as the company prepares to release its quarterly earnings today.
Boeing completed one of the last remaining factory tests for its 787 Dreamliner on Monday. The jet still has several tests to go through on the flight line before it is cleared for a first flight. Boeing hasn’t provided a date for the Dreamliner’s maiden flight, saying only that the 787 is scheduled to fly by the end of June.
The aerospace company may provide further details on the 787 during its first-quarter earnings briefing this morning. Boeing already has advised that jet production cuts and unfavorable pricing will reduce the company’s first-quarter 2009 net earnings by approximately 38 cents per share. Earlier this month, the company announced it will slow production of its Everett-built 777 next year and will halt plans to increase production of its 767 and 747 aircraft.
Airlines around the world are deferring jet deliveries because of declines in air traffic and difficulty in obtaining financing. However, Boeing has said it still intends to deliver between 480 and 485 aircraft this year.
The company could deliver its first 787 Dreamliner next year — nearly two years behind schedule — if Boeing can guide the mostly composite jet through a rigorous flight testing program without further delays. Flight testing will begin as soon as Boeing clears the remaining hurdles to put the first 787 in the air.
The company completed the “factory gauntlet” test on the initial Dreamliner Monday, said Yvonne Leach, a spokeswoman for Boeing. The test, which took place inside Boeing’s Everett factory, simulates flight operations, allowing Boeing engineers to monitor the aircraft’s systems.
“Everything went very well,” Leach said.
Boeing has a few more checks to perform on the Dreamliner before moving it out to the flight line at Paine Field. There, the 787 will undergo even more testing before taking flight sometime before June 30.
On Tuesday, the company also noted that it has assembled the wings for its first 747-8 Freighter. Last fall, Boeing pushed back the first delivery of its newly updated jumbo jet because of a scarcity of engineering resources, design changes and the strike by Machinists. Boeing plans to deliver the first 747-8 in the third quarter of 2010.
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