The Boeing Company said Tuesday that its new long-range airplane, the 787, would not make its first test flight this year because of delays caused by a machinists’ strike.þþThe setback is the latest in the development of the plane, nicknamed the Dreamliner, which is Boeing’s first major new aircraft in more than a decade. Boeing has 903 orders for the 787, whose first customer is All Nippon Airlines of Japan.þþThe Dreamliner, which will include innovations like a lightweight composite air frame and engines that are more fuel-efficient, was originally scheduled to be completed this year.þþBut Boeing has pushed back the 787’s introduction date several times because of production delays, and deliveries are now scheduled to begin in the third quarter of next year.þþA Boeing spokeswoman, Yvonne Leach, declined to say whether the decision to put off the test flight would further delay the delivery of the Dreamliner. þþShe also would not say when the plane would make its first flight, which had been set to take place before the end of 2008.þþMs. Leach blamed the delay on a 58-day strike by members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers, which ended when the third shift of workers at Boeing’s plants returned to their jobs Sunday night. þþSome 27,000 Boeing workers in Washington State, Oregon and Kansas walked off the job on Sept. 6 in a dispute over job security. They voted on Saturday to end the strike after a deal was reached last week on a new contract.þþThe walkout halted production of airplanes at Boeing and interrupted development work on the Dreamliner. þþLast month, Boeing executives told analysts that the company would need time to get its factories up to speed after the strike concluded.þþAt that time, Boeing’s chief executive, W. James McNerney Jr., estimated there would be at least a “day for day impact” on Boeing’s production schedules. Given that estimate, the Dreamliner’s first test flight could take place early next year.þþMs. Leach said, however, that Boeing was in the middle of an assessment of how long it would need to return to full production. She said Boeing was also mapping out a new schedule for the Dreamliner, including the new date of its first flight and when it might be shipped to customers.þþThose dates “will be part of the assessment, because there are so many factors involved,” Ms. Leach said.þþSeveral analysts have predicted the Dreamliner would not be delivered to customers until 2010. þþMeanwhile, Ms. Leach said Boeing had discovered that fasteners used throughout the Dreamliner had been incorrectly installed, and was taking steps to reinstall them properly. þþThe problem occurred on the four test versions of the Dreamliner that have been assembled at Boeing’s factory in Everett, Wash., as well as on parts of the plane that are still at Boeing’s suppliers, Ms. Leach said.þþ
Source: NY Times
