Blow to Boeing

Dreamliner Delayed a Fourth Time

Boeing has delayed the release of its 787 Dreamliner for the fourth time. The new delay was expected by investors and customers but is still viewed as a setback for European airplane manufacturer Airbus' chief rival.

Boeing announced on Wednesday another delay in the production of its 787 Dreamliner jet. The new mid-sized aircraft may not debut until the third quarter of 2009.

This is the fourth time the scheduled release of the top-selling plane has been pushed back. Previous delays were caused by supply-chain problems.

Analysts, as well as major buyers of the aircraft, have said in recent weeks that they expected delays of six to nine months.

Boeing says the plane's first test flight now will not take place until the fourth quarter of this year. It says it is building extra time into the testing schedule to reduce the risk of further delays.

The pushbacks facing Chicago-based Boeing is a new wrinkle in a rivalry with by European planemaker Airbus, which saw delays of 18 months for its huge A380 before it finally debuted last fall.

Airbus has received around 190 orders for its jumbo jetliner, while Boeing had logged over 840 orders for the 787 as of January 2008.

The 787 will be the first large commercial airplane to be made mostly of carbon-fiber composites, which are lighter and more durable than the metals used in most modern planes. Boeing says it will save fuel and be cheaper to maintain than comparable planes flying today, such as the Airbus A380.

Before Wednesday, Boeing had said its goal was to send the 787 on its first flight by the end of June and to deliver the first plane to Japan's All Nippon Airways in early 2009.

However, industry observers have not ruled out the possibility that delivery of the 787 might ultimately be delayed by a full two years.

pmm/ap