The delivery of the Boeing 787 may be postponed to early 2011
Boeing said that delivery of the first 787 Dreamliner could be delayed until early 2011 instead of the fourth quarter of 2010, flight tests have revealed some difficulties.
Speaking at a teleconference with the press, Scott Fancher, general manager Dreamliner program, however, said the decision to postpone the delivery of first aircraft from All Nippon Airways (ANA) has yet been taken .
"We found some difficulties that challenge our schedule a bit," he said adding that these difficulties were related to issues of "configuration tools".
Around 17:30 GMT, Boeing retreated 0.51% to 64.42 dollars, wiping out a portion of losses just after the announcement of a possible further delay, while the Dow Jones yielded 0.57 %.
If ever the first delivery was postponed again, the behind the original schedule – May 2008 – would exceed two and a half years.
The beginning of the production launch of the plane was delayed five times in three years and the first flight, which occurred in December 2009, had been postponed six times, due to both a lack of parts, problems design and a two-month strike that affected Boeing plants in 2008.
"We want to play the card of caution and say it could be that delivery is delayed to the first part of next year. But at this point, our schedule still provides a delivery by the end of the year "Scott Fancher continued.
Moments earlier, Boeing said it had revised upwards its forecast of orders for new aircraft by 2029, thanks to an increase in the number of LCCs, the replacement of less fuel efficient aircraft and economic recovery.
The U.S. aircraft manufacturer estimates that 30,900 the number of orders over the next two decades, a figure up 6.5% compared to the forecast of 29,000 made last year.