Boeing again delays first flight of 787 jetliner

updated 6:21 p.m. ET June 23, 2009

Boeing Co. has again delayed the first test flight of its long-awaited 787 jetliner, a hot-selling aircraft seen as pivotal for the company and the way it builds airplanes in the future.

The Chicago-based aerospace giant said Tuesday it needs to reinforce small areas near the connection of the wings and fuselage before conducting the test flight, which Boeing had insisted would occur before July. A revised schedule for the flight, as well as first deliveries to customers, will not be announced for several weeks.

The announcement comes as Boeing, the world’s second-largest commercial airplane maker, and European archrival Airbus SA grapple with slumping orders for their jets as the recession dampens demand for air travel and cargo services. Tight credit markets also have muted orders for new planes.

Deliveries of the long-range widebody have been delayed four times already. Customers had expected to get the first of the new jets in the first quarter of 2010 — nearly two years behind schedule. Some 58 orders have been canceled this year. The delays have cost Boeing credibility and billions of dollars in anticipated expenses and penalties.

Shares of Boeing slid 2 cents to $43.85 in after-hours trading. During the regular session, they tumbled $3.03, or 6.5 percent, to close at $43.87.

Boeing said it discovered areas around the part of the plane where the wings join the fuselage that need to be reinforced during recent tests on the airplanes.

Scott Fancher, Boeing’s 787 program manager, said the 36 areas — 18 on each side — cover about 1 to 2 square inches each.

“We’re talking about a relatively small number of parts and a relatively simple modification here, and we are designing it so the parts can be installed in fully assembled aircraft,” he said in a conference call. “We are already moving toward a solution.”

During a test late last month that involved bending the 787’s wings to simulate flight conditions, workers discovered greater-than-expected stress in the plane’s so-called side-of-body structure, according to Pat Shanahan, vice president and general manager of airplane programs for Boeing’s commercial airplane division. Further tests completed late last week showed the plane needed structural reinforcement before it could be flown, he said.

The 787 is the first commercial jet made mostly of light, sturdy carbon-fiber composites instead of aluminum. Large parts of the plane, such as the fuselage sections and wings, are made in factories around the world and flown in a huge modified 747 to Boeing’s widebody plant in the Seattle area, where they are essentially snapped together.

The plane’s wings are made by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the side-of-body structure by Fuji Heavy Industries, also of Japan. The design of that part of the aircraft has been handled by the two companies along with Boeing.

“This is a structural reinforcement issue, not an issue of materials or workmanship,” Shanahan said. “Composites are the right choice for airplane structure.”

MORE FROM AVIATION

Aviation Section Front

Boeing chooses S.C. for new 787 line Boeing posts quarterly loss, lowers forecast Continental loses $18 million in third quarter Boeing expects $1 billion charge Frontier Airlines set to emerge from bankruptcy Japan minister says JAL won’t be liquidated As fees rise, airlines test flier limits Report: Troubled JAL mulls raising $2.8 billion Airline industry lost over $6 billion in 1st half Boeing: First flight for Dreamliner by year-end Aviation Section Front   Add Aviation headlines to your news reader: