May Also Change To Larger -9 Dreamliners

Boeing may see one of its more prestigious clients for the oft-delayed 787 Dreamliner cut back its order for the composite-bodied aircraft... but it's unlikely the struggling American planemaker will complain very much.

The Wall Street Journal reports Delta Air Lines plans to cut back the 18-plane order placed by Northwest Airlines in 2005. That order survived the carrier's subsequent bankruptcy, and endured even as Boeing has been forced to repeatedly delay target delivery dates for the problematic airliner... but with Delta's recent acquisition of Northwest, the new owners are taking a hard look at what planes they really need.

The answer to that question appears to be the Boeing 777-200LR. Delta has already received two of the aircraft, and is slated to receive eight more over the next three years.

The long-range 777 is expected to be the flagship for the newly-merged Delta, and the Atlanta-based carrier is reportedly interested in ordering more -200LRs to handle new routes to Johannesburg and Shanghai, as well as Asian legs now operated by Northwest's regal-but-thirsty 747s.

As a consequence, Delta may drastically reduce the 787 order... and change Northwest's call for -8 models to larger -9s, which are slated to enter service in 2012. Though revolutionary, the 787-8 is also about the same size as Delta's existing 767s and the Airbus A330s it will inherit from Northwest.

For its part, Boeing would probably be more than happy to change Delta's order... as that would mean one less aggravated customer calling Boeing's switchboards, wondering when the planemaker will get its act together and start delivering their 787s. It would also free up early delivery slots Northwest now holds for other customers.

No final decisions have been made, and Delta personnel won't confirm on the record what specific plans are in the works.

"It comes down to the flexibility of the combined fleet and how we match capacity into the markets we serve," said airline spokeswoman Betsy Talton. "Orders get adjusted depending on what's happening with the business."

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.delta.com