The Boeing Co. may not hand over its first 787 Dreamliner until early next year, missing a December deadline, officials said Thursday.
Scott Fancher, general manager of the program for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told reporters that Boeing still intends to deliver its first 787 to Japan’s ANA by the end of the year. He said that “as a cautionary note,” Boeing is warning that the delivery might be extended a few weeks into 2011.
Fancher said the planned changes in data-gathering instrumentation on the flight test planes took longer than expected. Additional inspections of 787s for faulty parts “stacked up,” reducing the time margin built into the testing schedule. He said Boeing has a “laser focus” on completing the tests and getting the first plane delivered in December.
News of a potential 787 schedule slide barely made waves Thursday on Wall Street. Boeing’s shares fell just 38 cents for the day.
Analysts weren’t surprised by the modest delay. Boeing is more than two years behind schedule in delivering the first of 863 Dreamliner jets on order. Problems with the 787’s global supply chain have caused a string of embarrassing delays for Boeing.
“It was inevitable,” said Richard Aboulafia, with the Teal Group. “Yet again they set an aggressive schedule for us that they really couldn’t meet.”
Scott Hamilton, an analyst with Leeham Co. in Issaquah, also thought Boeing’s fourth quarter delivery goal was ambitious. A schedule slide of a few weeks isn’t troubling, Hamilton said. If the first delivery slips to March, “then questions would arise yet again about the integrity of the program.”
Late last month, Boeing grounded its five flight test 787s in order to inspect the aircraft for an improperly installed piece in the composite jet’s tail. The fix, Boeing said, would take eight days to complete and could be done as Boeing workers installed new data-gathering equipment on the flight test aircraft.
Boeing plans to add a sixth flight test aircraft to the fleet. The first flight of that aircraft, the second 787 equipped with General Electric GEnX engines, has been delayed until August, Fancher said.
Boeing still plans to send a 787 Dreamliner to the Farnborough Air Show outside London next week. Last year, at the Paris Air Show, which alternates years with Farnborough, Boeing executives assured customers the 787 would take its first flight by the end of June. Days later, the company announced another delay and the 787 took its first flight Dec. 15.
Analyst Aboulafia noted that the minor delay is balanced by positive news for the 787 in recent weeks, including Qantas accelerating delivery of its first 787s into the first half of 2012. And Russia is reportedly pressing Boeing to deliver 787s to state-run Aeroflot in time for the 2014 Olympics.
“You’re seeing all sorts of international endorsements, and signs of technical progress,” Aboulafia said.
Also on Thursday, Boeing announced it had selected a site in North Charleston, S.C., for a second 787 interiors fabrication factory. Boeing is establishing a second final assembly line for its 787 in South Carolina in order to help the company meet its production goal of building 10 787s monthly in 2012.
“This decision is another significant step toward creating a solid aerospace presence for future generations to come in South Carolina,” said Ray Conner, vice president of Boeing’s supply chain management.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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