Damage on the mid-body fuselage section of the fourth of six test Boeing 787 planes could have an impact on the already-delayed programme.

Damage on the mid-body fuselage section of the fourth of six test Boeing 787 planes could have an impact on the already-delayed programme. The Seattle Times explains that the section is built in South Carolina

Boeing said the fourth of six 787 test planes has been damaged by an employee at supplier Global Aeronautica

Boeing said the fourth of six 787 test planes has been damaged by an employee at supplier Global Aeronautica. Boeing spokeswoman Yvonne Leach said the company would know “soon” whether the damage, which she declined to describe, will have an impact on the full programme that already faces a delay of at least 14 months. The damaged midbody fuselage section has not yet been transferred from Global Aeronautica’s plant in Charleston, South Carolina, to Boeing’s final assembly line in Everett, Washington.

Robert Noble goes back over the difficulties faced by the 787 Dreamliner programme.

In an interview with The Seattle Times, Robert Noble, Boeing’s vice-president in charge of the 787 Dreamliner supply chain, goes back over the difficulties faced by the programme. He admits that

As suppliers are catching up, it seems clear now that the Boeing 787 programme is recovering

As suppliers are catching up, it seems clear now that the Boeing 787 programme is recovering and can finally meet its revised schedule, assesses The Seattle Times.

Boeing confirmed yesterday that the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner would take place in the fourth quarter of 2008

Boeing confirmed yesterday that the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner would take place in the fourth quarter of 2008. Dmitry Krol, director of communications for Boeing in Russia and the CIS, said first deliveries of the plane were scheduled for the third quarter of 2009, in line with the revised schedule for the programme announced in April. Mr Krol was attending the St Petersburg Economic Forum. Russia is Boeing’s largest engineering solutions provider, revealed Sergei Kravchenko, CEO of the group’s regional division. Reuters (09/06), Negocio

Boeing’s 787 customers remain loyal despite current production setbacks.

Boeing’s 787 customers remain loyal despite current production setbacks. Though most of them –including Qantas, Qatar Airways or British Airways- expressed concerns and disappointments with the delivery delays, no one has cancelled orders. With oil prices at $130 a barrel, indeed, the global airlines need new, more fuel-efficient aircraft,

he EU gave its approval to Boeing’s purchase of Vought Aircraft Industries’s stake in Global Aeronautica

The EU gave its approval to Boeing’s purchase of Vought Aircraft Industries’s stake in Global Aeronautica, a South Carolina facility that builds parts for the new 787 Dreamliner.

Saudi Arabian Airlines said it had agreed to purchase eight Airbus A330s and 12 Boeing 787s

Saudi Arabian Airlines said it had agreed to purchase eight Airbus A330s and 12 Boeing 787s to replace older, less fuel-efficient aircraft.

Boeing is positive the 787 Dreamliner is back on track.

During an investors’ conference in Seattle, CEO Jim McNerney said the plane maker remained confident that its new global supply strategy is the best way to conduct the 787 programme,

The latest delays to the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380 deliveries may actually suit a few customer airlines

The latest delays to the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380 deliveries may actually suit a few customer airlines, claims Yan Derocles,
analyst at Oddo Securities. Air traffic growth is expected to slow down –from 8% in 2007 to 4.5% in 2008- and “demand remains superior to seat offering”. So, says Mr Derocles, the current situation allows airlines to “raise their ticket fares easily and compensate for the rising oil prices”.

Boeing five years ahead of its rival Airbus

Boeing CEO Jim McNerney told an investor conference in Seattle yesterday that the company was “five years ahead” of its rival Airbus. According to him, the delays to the new 787 Dreamliner are less serious than the recurrent problems Airbus faces with its A350 and A380 programmes.

Growing appeal of Mexico for European aerospace manufacturers

Les Echos investigates the growing appeal of Mexico particularly for European aerospace manufacturers and their suppliers, which see in this dollar-based country a solution to the threat of the weak US currency over their competitiveness. The state of Queretaro, 200km north of Mexico City, has become the new global aeronautics ‘El Dorado’.

Spirit AeroSystems confirmed that it had been selected by Airbus to join the A350 XWB programme.

The US group will build part of the new aircraft’s fuselage, namely section 15, at a new plant in North Carolina that will employ up to 1,000 workers. Spirit will also send A350 manufacturing work off to Malaysia and to its Wichita site in Kansas, it declared. Construction of the new plant should start this year for an entry into operations in 2010. The AFP and Seattle Post Intelligencer both comment that this announcement underscores the global nature of the aerospace industry as the US supplier also builds part of the fuselage and the nose for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

The Boeing 787 will be postponed by at least two years.

Air Canada, for instance, who ordered 37 units, expects to take delivery of its first 787s in January 2012, 30 months later than initially planned. In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, aircraft leasing company ILFC said its planes would be delayed “an average in excess of 27 months per aircraft”. Qatar Airways, therefore, has exercised options on Boeing 777s to pursue its development in the meantime. Meanwhile, ANA is in talks with Boeing to use new 767s to meet its interim needs. A source said these 767s could be a substitute for penalty payments. Seattle Post Intelligencer cites analysts calculating that the delays could cost Boeing $ 4Bn or more in fines. Le Figaro Economie, Suddeutsche Zeitung, Seattle Post Intelligencer (09/05)

It is no longer surprising to see major aircraft programmes being delayed

Since the A380 delays, it is no longer surprising to see major aircraft programmes being delayed, comments Suddeutsche Zeitung. Boeing is currently facing similar problems with its 787 programme. Due to the growing complexity of technology used on new planes, it is becoming tougher to remain on schedule. The German newspaper points out that manufacturers themselves have trouble predicting their schedules, in fact. A review of the A380 production schedule is being led at Airbus. Suddeutsche Zeitung