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Boeing and its suppliers are said to be reviewing the timetable for delivery of some of the 787s already built due to delays in bringing the aircraft up to a certified production standard.
Citing sources at Boeing and the companies that make up its supply chain, Flightblogger says that design changes required for Aircraft Seven, which is the first 787 to be delivered to launch customer All Nippon Airlines, had not yet been released and would have to be implemented before it can be certified. As such, the manufacturer is understood to be reviewing its delivery schedule, but maintains that its latest plans to deliver the first 787 in the first quarter of 2011 still holds.
A number of the problems to be rectified on the 22 production-standard aircraft which Boeing has scattered around its facilities at Everett include cabin condensation issues, resolving the horizontal stabiliser workmanship issues, and incorporating changes to the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.
Boeing CEO Jim McNerney recently noted during the company’s third quarter earnings call that it was “intensely focused on managing the change incorporation process on airplanes already built or in flow.” In addition, he noted that the early aircraft on its delivery schedule “comprised of a mix of airplanes coming off the production line and airplanes completing the change incorporation process.”
Boeing is currently maintaining its latest delivery schedule, while some carriers including Jetstar and Qatar Airways have recently brought forward their planned deliveries of 787s to take advantage of slots opened up by customers who have delayed their deliveries. Locally, Jetstar is expected to take delivery of its first 787-8s from June 2012.
