Airlines not overly concerned over Dreamliner delay
12 Oct 2007
Buyers of Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner appear to be shrugging off Boeing's announced six-month delay in delivery of the aircraft, saying it would have little or no impact on operations.
All Nippon Airways (ANA), the launch customer, declined comment, but a spokesman was quoted as saying that the airline did not expect the delay to have a huge impact.
UK aerospace major Rolls Royce, which is scheduled to supply engines for ANA's 787s, has also said that it expects no financial impact in 2008 from the delay in deliveries.
Meanwhile, a British Airways spokeswoman was quoted as saying that the airline was confident that it would get its first delivery in 2010, as scheduled.
Other customers of the Dreamliner, such as Qantas Airways, Air Berlin and Vietnam Airlines also expressed similar sentiments. Qantas has already received $94 million in compensation from Airbus for the delay in the delivery of the A380 super jumbo.
Boeing blamed the delay on supply line problems, arising from a scarcity of parts. The 787 will have a lightweight carbon-composite fuselage among other innovative features.
An obvious loss for airlines and Boeing is the fact that the 787 will not be able to fly tourists to the Beijing Olympics next summer.
With more than 700 orders to date, worth more than $100 billion at list prices, the 787 is the fastest selling airliner in history.
