787 programme would be delayed by another six months for several reasons:

In a conference call yesterday, Scott Carson, CEO of Boeing Commercial Aircraft division, confirmed recent speculation that the 787 programme would be delayed by another six months for several reasons: some of the suppliers –often located far away from the Everett assembly line- have accumulated delays; unexpected reviews of the plane’s design have slightly complicated its progress; Boeing gives itself more margin of manoeuvre to conduct the certification test campaign. “Problems old and new provoke third delay”, writes International Herald Tribune in its headlines. Under the new schedule, the 787’s maiden flight will take place in the fourth quarter of this year and the first delivery to All Nippon Airways is expected for the third quarter of 2009. Boeing was also forced to delay the first delivery of the 787-9 larger version to early 2012 from late 2010. This will slash deliveries in 2009 from the initial target of 112 units to just 25. The Dreamliner represents such a technological breakthrough -notably with the use of composite materials- that it will need more time for its certification phase indeed, points out La Tribune. The daily adds that this new delay shows the limits of the industrial model developed by Boeing from 2000, also demonstrated by the group’s recent decision to buy back fuselage maker Global Aeronautica from its supplier Vought. More than 70 % of aircraft production is outsourced by Boeing (compared with 30 % for Airbus). Persistent difficulties at its suppliers, therefore, has prompted the “Dreamliner’s descent into nightmare”, echoes Financial Times. Still, the impact of these problems should not be as “violent” as delays were to the Airbus A380 programme, deems Les Echos. The Dreamliner is a commercial hit already (with more than 900 orders) and, unlike the European superjumbo, it does not tap a niche market but the highly-profitable long-haul aviation segment. This is why the news did not worry investors, all the more as the plane maker confirmed its 2008 result forecasts: the Boeing share jumped 5.45 %, to $79.14, during morning trade on Wall Street. Still, notes Financial Times, Boeing now faces claims for billions of dollars compensation from airlines. Finally, La Tribune highlights that Boeing managed its programme schedule better than Airbus did with its A380. While the latter waited nearly 18 months to unveil delays to the superjumbo, Boeing updated its schedule three times in six months. AFP (09/04), Reuters (09/04), Bloomberg (09/04), La Tribune, Le Figaro Economie, Les Echos, Suddeutsche Zeitung, Financial Times Deutschland, Die Welt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal Europe, International Herald Tribune, The Seattle Times (09/04), Expansion, Cinco Dias, Negocio