Company Watch - Boeing

AirGuide Business, April 14, 2008

Boeing mechanics began final assembly work on the first 777-200LRF Freighter at the company's Everett, Wash., facility this week. The new cargo airplane will roll out of the factory later this month, and work will begin to prepare the airplane for flight test this summer. The 777 Freighter will fly farther and provide more capacity than any other twin-engine cargo airplane. Boeing will deliver the first 777 Freighter to its launch customer Air France in the fourth quarter of 2008. The 777 Freighter is based on the 777-200LR Worldliner passenger airplane and is built using the same production line as all other models of the 777. Eleven customers around the world have ordered 78 777 Freighters. Apr 11, 2008

Airlines seek compensation for 787 delays. Some airlines are demanding that Boeing compensate them for additional 787 delays announced on Wednesday. Several foreign carriers are negotiating compensation with the jetmaker. Northwest Airlines said it will fly its older aircraft longer as it waits for new 787s. "We are disappointed by the latest delays, but we still believe the 787-8 will be a game-changing airplane for our fleet," a Northwest spokeswoman said. Apr 10, 2008

Airlines started lining up on Thursday for compensation after Boeing further delayed its new 787 Dreamliner plane, with Air New Zealand first to seek redress and Japan's two big airlines likely to follow suit. The U.S. plane maker announced the third major delay for the revolutionary plane on Wednesday, promising first delivery in the third quarter of 2009, more than a year after the original target of May this year, with an indefinite delay for a short-range model favored by the Japanese carriers. Apr 10, 2008

Boeing has announced a revised plan for first flight and initial deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner with 25 deliveries planned in the third quarter of 2009. The first flight of the 787 has been moved to the fourth quarter of 2008, Boeing said. The new plan includes additional schedule margins to reduce risk of further delays with the program. Boeing expressed confidence in its plans and said it will work closely with customers to minimize any disruption. Boeing said that it expected no change to 2008 earnings and said it expected strong 2009 growth. Carson said work situation and unanticipated rework prevented Boeing from hitting the milestones laid out in January. He also said while the fundamental technologies and design of the 787 remain sound, Boeing has made allowance for dealing with other issues the company may uncover in testing. Visit www.boeing.com. Apr 10, 2008

Boeing indefinitely delayed deliveries of the 787-3 variant, saying it would focus on the standard 787-8 and then the larger, stretched 787-9 variant. If delays on the Boeing 787 get even longer, airlines might postpone or cancel orders, which would likely boost sales of Boeing's established 767 and 777 models and increase interest in Airbus's competing A350 XWB. Apr 10, 2008

Japanese airlines are also likely to seek redress from Boeing, which has touted the carbon-composite 787 as a breakthrough that would change aviation. All Nippon Airways ANA spokesman Shinichi Shinkawa said the company would decide the size of compensation to seek once the overall impact from the delay on its business became clear. Its shares fell 1.7 percent. Apr 10, 2008