Company Says The Program "Won't Be Drained Of Resources
Again"
While Boeing contemplates design changes to the composite
fuselage that has again delayed the 787 Dreamliner program, the
company says it is back ahead of schedule on its 747-8 program, and
that further Dreamliner delays won't effect the Intercontinental's
development again.
“The 787 will identify the requirements they need to
address their challenges, but that won’t have an impact on
the 747,” Todd Zarfos, the vice president of engineering for
the jumbo-jet program, said in an interview this week with
Bloomberg News. “Over the last two years we’ve aligned
our engineering resource ability to make sure we meet all our
commitments.”
Bloomberg reports that the first customer for the 747-8
Intercontinental passenger model, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, is
concerned that additional problems with the Dreamliner will again
delay its deliveries, a concern that Boeing is trying hard to
assuage. “I’m sure again the delay of the 787 will mean
that they have to pull in more engineering resources, and that will
have even further delays, as a consequence, for the 747-8,”
Lufthansa Chief Financial Officer Stephan Gemkow told investors in
a June 25 online presentation. “I would not be surprised to
learn this some weeks or months in the future.”
Boeing admits having pulled some engineers off the
Intercontinental project in the past to work on the
Dreamliner, but now assures Deutsche Lufthansa AG that its
airplanes will be delivered on time, in the fourth quarter of
2011.
Meanwhile, Boeing announced earlier this week it had joined the
wing to the fuselage of its first 747-8 Freighter. Workers attached
the 40-foot fuselage section to the center wing box in the final
assembly bay at the factory in Everett, Wash. The wing and center
section are now being prepared for final body join, when the
assembly will be connected to the forward and aft fuselage
sections.
"We continue to gain momentum on the assembly of the first 747-8
Freighter," said Mo Yahyavi, vice president and general manager of
the 747 Program. "The airplane is coming together well and will be
ready to fly later this year as planned. This will be a great
freighter, which will build on the 747 family's leadership in the
cargo market."
The 747-8 Freighter is the new high-capacity 747. Boeing says it
will offer 16 percent more revenue cargo volume than the 747-400
Freighter and 16 percent lower ton-mile costs than the 747-400
Freighter. There are currently 78 orders from leading cargo
operators for the new 747-8 Freighter.