Mon, Dec 01, 2008
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."
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