Customers, Suppliers Irked... But Added Time Helps Engineers

Delays in production of its upcoming 787 Dreamliner have been a bane for Boeing... but, perhaps, they've also been something of a blessing, giving the beleaguered jetmaker time to "fine tune" several systems on the aircraft.

Specifically, the delays have given engineers more time to reduce the risk of problems with the Dreamliner's electronic systems, before test flights scheduled to being in late June -- more than nine months after the original plan.

In his comments to Cowen & Co.'s Aerospace/Defense conference this week, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president Scott Carson said he has "great confidence that the airplane will be ready to go as we've scheduled it. We have taken advantage of the delays to make sure our system level maturity is coming along at a rate that will avoid problems as we enter flight test," reports The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Carson offered few detailed explanations for his apparent optimism, however, while also acknowledging the delays have irked suppliers who have large investments in different components of the 787 -- some who are still waiting on payment.

In what looks like a Catch-22 situation, Carson added several production delays came from the continued lack of finished work incoming from those very suppliers. The current shortage on fasteners industrywide hasn’t helped much, either.

What was delicately left unremarked upon, were the cost penalties for Boeing delivering planes late. As ANN reported, the first 787 was originally scheduled for delivery in May of this year to All Nippon Airways; that delivery has since been pushed to 2009.

"We are deeply disappointed by what this delay means for our customers, and we are committed to working closely with them as we assess the impact on our delivery schedules."

Despite the delays, orders continue to come in for the highly anticipated jet, making the 787 the fastest selling new airplane program in history.

FMI: www.boeing.com