[photopress:air_787_Dreamliners1.jpg,full,alignright]U.S. aircraft maker Boeing said it would start delivering 787 Dreamliners to its Chinese customers in the fourth quarter of 2009, after pushing back the target delivery date three times by more than a year behind the original schedule. This is such a common happening in the aircraft manufacturing industry as to commonplace.
W. James McNerney, president of The Boeing Company said the company regretted the impact of the delays on its customers and would offer interim aircraft before the delivery.
Five Chinese airlines – Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan Airlines and Shanghai Airlines – ordered 60 B787 aircraft in 2005.
The first B787 rolled off the line last year. It can carry a maximum of 330 passengers and is more fuel-efficient than other planes.[photopress:air_787_Dreamliners_2.jpg,full,alignleft]
Scott Carson, president of Boeing Commercial Aviation, was quoted in the U.S. media as saying that the delays had been caused by continued problems with a far-flung network of international suppliers.
Boeing has joint-venture companies in Tianjin, Xiamen and Shanghai. However, what Boeing does not discuss is how these orders may now be revised in view of the current situation with airlines cutting down on flights. The delay in ordering may turn out to be, for Boeing, a mistake of company-changing proportions.
Source: China View
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