787 powers on

The lightweight carbon-composite plane (pictured) has been delayed three times by production setbacks, putting it at least 15 months behind schedule. Some customers have been told they will have to wait two years longer for their planes.

The new airplane, which promises to cut fuel costs by 20 percent, has racked up 896 orders worth about $150bn at list prices. But Boeing has found it harder than expected to put together the plane using its far-flung network of suppliers.
The delays mirror problems that rival Airbus, a unit of Europe’s EADS, had in producing its A380 superjumbo, which ended up two years late.

Boeing has been working on the 787 programme since April 2004, and is now in the final stages of producing the first batch of planes to be used for static and flight testing.

The process, known in the aerospace industry as “power on,” is a series of tasks and tests that brings electrical power to the airplane and starts the electrical systems working. It is a crucial moment in the development of the plane as it gives Boeing an idea of how the plane’s systems work together and what problems might need to be addressed.

With the power-on tests complete, Boeing confirmed that it was aiming for the first test flight of the plane in the fourth quarter of this year. The plane maker has put back the first test flight target date several times. It was originally planned for last summer.

First deliveries of the 787, to Japan’s All Nippon Airways , are scheduled for the third quarter of next year. The original target date for first delivery was May 2008.

Boeing has also announced that it will be involved in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ regional jet programme, but its main focus will continue to be on large aircraft, Boeing’s Japan.

Boeing Japan President Nicole Piasecki said that Boeing is in talks with Japan’s largest heavy machinery maker over the programme, though she declined to elaborate on the content of their discussions.

Mitsubishi Heavy’s ¥150bn ($1.39bn) project, dubbed the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), will hold 70-90 passengers and go head-to-head with planes made by Canada’s Bombardier Inc and Brazil’s Embraer

“I can’t reveal details about what we’re talking about right now, but we will be involved in a minimal way in the MRJ programme,” she said.

“… we will not be selling the aircraft, we will not be investing in the programme per se. Our customers are counting on us to focus on the large airplane side.”
Mitsubishi Heavy aims to sell 1,000 regional jets in 20 years.

Boeing already has a dominant presence in Japan, with the country’s airlines having bought almost all their planes from the world’s biggest-selling commercial aircraft maker. All Nippon Airways is scheduled to be the first airline to receive The 787 Dreamliner.


The Boeing 787 by numbers
• When completed, the 787 will carry between 210 and 330 passengers, depending on the seating layout and configuration.
• The unit cost for each aircraft will vary between $146m for the cheapest 787-3 option, to $200m for the most expensive 787-9 model.
• By the time of the aircraft’s rollout ceremony in July 2007, Boeing had racked up over 600 orders – making the 787 the fastest-selling wide body airliner in history.
• Final assembly of the 787 involves a team of between 700 and 1,200 people. This is less than the traditional number that would be required on a project of this size, since many components are assembled away from the company’s Washington factory.
• Originally scheduled for completion in May 2008, production has been repeatedly put back and the 787 is now expected to enter service in late 2008.