Boeing hopes to start deliveries of 787 Dreamliner this year
21 Apr 2010
Boeing is undertaking an expanded inspection of the 787 aircraft and is well on track to deliver the first airplane to All Nippon Airways (ANA) this year, Boeing vice president and general manager Scott Fancher said today.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today granted Boeing expanded type inspection authorisation (TIA), clearing the way for its personnel to fully participate in future test flights and for the collection of required flight-test data.
Boeing said it achieved the expansion by demonstrating the readiness of the airplane throughout a variety of speeds, altitudes and configurations.
The expanded TIA marks the FAA's confirmation that the airplane and team are ready to collect additional certification data, Boeing said in a release today.
"This TIA expansion is another significant step toward delivering airplanes to our customers. We remain on track to deliver the first airplane to ANA this year," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 programme, Commercial Airplanes.
In addition to receiving expanded TIA, Boeing finalised the aerodynamic configuration of the 787.