787’s first flight looms

The 787 should take its first flight on Tuesday, Boeing Co. officials said. The are some tests to be completed this weekend and the weather needs to be acceptable, they added. The first flight for the 787 will be two years later than planned. The new jet, the first to be made with a majority of composite materials, is set to take off about 10 a.m. from Everett’s Paine Field. It’s expected to fly for about five hours before landing at Boeing Field in Seattle. There are some 840 Dreamliners on order, with the first scheduled for delivery late next year.

United buys 787s: United Airlines gave Boeing a big order for 787s, buying 25 of the jets valued at about $4 billion. It’s one of the few new orders Boeing has received this year. The airline also ordered 25 A350 XWBs, the first time it has ordered twin-aisle jets from Airbus. The company hasn’t placed an order for new aircraft since 1998. It expects to take delivery of the new jets between 2016 and 2019.

Biotech tax breaks: Four biotechnology companies in Snohomish and King counties have received $364,000 in tax breaks for expanding operations and creating new jobs. The Snohomish County companies, Blue Heron Biotechnology and CMC ICOS Biologics, are both based in Bothell.

Together, the four companies created 58 jobs with projects that cost $4.1 million. The projects were eligible for a tax deferral or exemption.

Frontier stock plan: Frontier Financial Corp., the parent company of Frontier Bank, will hold a special shareholder meeting Jan. 20 to seek approval to sell more common shares of stock. Bank officials are seeking the ability to sell more shares to increase the bank’s capital and put it on a stronger footing.

Mike Benbow, Herald Writer