Boeing Says First 787 Test Flight to be Made by Year End
After repeated delays, Boeing has said that that its new 787 aircraft will be ready for its first test flight by the end of this year and its first delivery will be done by the fourth quarter of 2010.
The maiden flight of the next-generation aircraft, built for fuel efficiency with lightweight carbon composite parts, has been delayed five times already, largely because of production problems. The inaugural flight was originally scheduled for the fall of 2007.
With the 787, Boeing has taken a new approach to building airplanes, relying on overseas suppliers to build huge sections of the plane that are later assembled at the company’s commercial aircraft plant near Seattle.
Ill-fitting parts and other problems have hampered production, but Boeing and some analysts say the plane — Boeing’s first all-new jetliner since the 777, which airlines began flying in 1995 — eventually will prove a financial and technological success.
Boeing expects it will be able to produce 10 787's per month in late 2013.