Into clear air?

Is the 787 finally clear of turbulence?

As the 2011 Avalon Air Show gets underway Qantas should have been thrilling the crowd with a low level fly-by of its first 787-9 and the 32nd 787 delivered to the airline but instead it is grappling with the fallout from the 7th delay announced in the program and the challenge of keeping ageing 767s up to the mark.

It is difficult to know if this delay will be the last with some analysts gloomily saying that Boeing will be struggling to deliver a fully ETOPS certified 787 this year, with the US FAA allegedly becoming leery about the ETOPS aspects of the program an assertion Boeing flatly rejects.