ILFC Chief Says Wing Box Redesign May Push Off First
Flight
A necessary structural change to the center wing box of Boeing's
787 Dreamliner may further delay the plane's first flight,
currently scheduled to occur nearly one year after the airliner was
formally introduced.
Steven Udvar-Hazy, chairman of International Lease Finance
Corp., told The Associated Press he believes, based on new
information from Boeing, that the first composite-bodied Dreamliner
won't take to the skies until late 2008, with deliveries to
customers not occurring until the third quarter of 2009.
The center wing box connects the airliner's wing assemblies to
the fuselage, and contains a fuel tank. Hazy believes the design
change will require retrofits to the planes now on the assembly
line in Everett, WA.
In a statement Thursday, Boeing said the center wing box
issue has been addressed. "The fix is being installed on Airplanes
1-6 in the Everett factory," read a message on the
planemaker's website. "Installations have begun on the four
airplanes currently in Final Assembly. All airplanes after Airplane
7 will have the solution incorporated from the beginning."
For the moment, Boeing is playing rumors of another delay to its
787 -- if true, this would be the fourth -- close to the vest.
Spokeswoman Yvonne Leach said the company is currently evaluating
the chances the planemaker will be able to stick to its current
development timeline, which calls for the first 787 flight in June
and the first plane delivered to All Nippon Airways early next
year.
"We are working on completing our assessment so we can give our
customers new delivery schedules. We will share the details of all
of this when we are ready," Leach said.
As ANN reported, many
customers believe Boeing will soon announce a delay... and are
critical of Boeing's statements to the contrary. At an industry
conference earlier this month, several airline executives and
industry analysts spoke harshly about the state of the troubled
airliner, and took Boeing to task over its reassurances the 787
remains on target for its first flight in June. Those customers say
they've heard it before.
Leach declined to address Hazy's comments this week directly.
"It is normal during the development of a new airplane to discover
the need for design enhancements," she said. "While we respect Hazy
and he is a valued customer, he was sharing what is his
opinion."