787 faces a 6 month delay?

[SP-LPB]

Quoting the Seattlepi:


The Boeing Co.'s 787 Dreamliner could be up to six months late, a well-regarded industry analyst warned Friday in a report that sent the company's shares down sharply on Wall Street.

Boeing also may be unable to meet its projected 787 production rates, Lehman Brothers analyst Joseph Campbell said in the research note to clients.

...On a day when the Dow gained 140 points, Boeing shares fell $2.25 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange. They closed at $102.25, well off their 12-month high of $107.83.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/ ... ers06.html (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/334520_planeorders06.html)

[Matt Molnar]

Ouch, especially on a day when the A380 is paying another visit to the U.S.

In the long term, however, this shouldn't have any serious effect on Boeing. Six months is not bad for a project of this magnitude. The logistics of building it are more complex than those of the A380, and potential customers aren't going to start running to Airbus after seeing their debacles over the past few years.

[pgengler]

Boeing Delays Deliveries of 787 by 6 Months (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/apee-boeing.html)

Boeing is delaying initial deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner by six months due to continued challenges in completing assembly of the first airplanes, the company said today.

Boeing said deliveries that had been scheduled to begin next May will be pushed back to late November or December 2008.

The first flight, already pushed back once from the initial target of earlier this fall, now is anticipated around the end of the first quarter of 2008.

[Winglets747]

And it was just Monday Boeing said they were still on target. I really wish they would have been more upfront about the delay. :roll:

[T-Bird76]

It really was to be expected, when they rolled it out in July they rolled out a hollow plane. there was nothing inside of ship 1 at all. As long as it doesn't turn into a delay like the A380 I think Boeing will be fine, if not it could sway customers towards the A350.

[kc2aqg]

I also am somewhat disappointed by this announcement, as I was hoping to catch the first flight of the 787 in Seattle, and now will have to put that off until Jan, Feb, or March of next year.

I think that as long as they can stay on track with their new plan and minimize the delays to customers, then Boeing won't have a problem. I also think that they won't have to worry much about losing orders to the A350, since it is still a "paper" plane and the 787 will still fly and be delivered a while before the A350, even with the delay.

Is anyone familiar with the terms of the order contracts and what concessions or penalties Boeing will now have to give to customers because of the delay?

[JZ1]

This will have a ripple effect on airlines themselves. I know the Chinese airlines plan to start their 787 flight in celebration of the Olympics next year. This is no longer possible.

[Iberia A340-600]

Do I smell A380? :borat:

In all seriousness Boeing was so sure that they would have everything done on-time for the 787 but as Tommy already mentioned it really wasn't conceivable from the beginning.

[SP-LPB]

EK supposedly will announce 50 firm 350 orders and 50 options at the Dubai Airshow.

[Nonstop2AUH]

As kc2 asks, the real business issue is what compensation will Boeing have to pay customers for the late deliveries. But seriously folks, you had to see this coming. Like A380, 787 is a complex global project using a vast number of suppliers and also some specific new technologies. Thanks to Wall St. and the media, there was such pressure to keep things looking on schedule (until, of course, today's admission) that the ship rolled out on 7/8 apparently wasn't even held together with aviation fasteners. So now, hopefully, we know the real situation and it will go forward from here with no more surprises, but the complexity of the project means they are possible. For example, does anyone know if the fastener supply issue has been resolved?