Boeing 787 delivery delayed, again
Aug 27, 2010, 3:36 AM | Updated: Mar 28, 2011, 3:46 pm
Boeing says it doesn’t expect to deliver the first 787 until the middle of the first quarter next year.
The new delay for the Dreamliner, now expected to enter service after mid-February, is due to the failure of a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 test engine. It broke apart internally while running through a ground-test at the engine maker’s plant in England earlier this month.
While Boeing works with Rolls-Royce to expedite engine availability, flight testing across the test fleet continues as planned.
Boeing said last month the a series of issues – some related to the horizontal stabilizer and instrumentation delays – would push the first delivery of the jet into early January. The delay in engine availability has extended that estimate by a few weeks to mid-first quarter 2011.
The Dreamliner was originally scheduled to enter service in May of 2008, but the aircraft’s maiden flight didn’t happen until December 15, 2009.
The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner, powered by GE GEnx engines on a test flight June 16, 2010. Boeing.com photo