Deliveries of 787s are still slow though this month but hopefully should start to pick up with 6 days left in the 1st quarter. Thus far, Boeing has delivered 5 787s: 4 787-9s and 1 787-8 including the 1st 787-9 to be assembled at the North Charleston plant. The latest delivery was a 787-9 delivered to AerCap on behalf of LAN who will operate it. I expect that Boeing should be able to deliver 6 more 787s this month.
Production has been moving along without any overt signs of issues and each aircraft going through Everett still makes a stop on the 40-51 ramp to finish minor assembly tasks and for some to have their seats installed.
However flight testing activity has been noticeably thin over the last 2 to 3 weeks. There are a couple of 787s that are scheduled to be delivered this month but have not flown their customer flights. It maybe indicative that some customers are not yet ready to take delivery of their aircraft.
There's also been a lot of buzz about American Airlines 787 deliveries or lack thereof. It does seem that the production issues with the Zodiac seats are persisting and are not only affecting Boeing or 787 deliveries but are impacting different aircraft and manufacturers (Airbus and Boeing). That said, American has publicly stated that revenue flights won't start until May and the 2 airplanes that they have taken delivery are being used to train their pilots. It doesn't make sense for AA to take delivery of more 787s if they don't intend to introduce them into revenue service within one month of taking possession. Thus I don't see any more 787 deliveries until late April at the earliest. The 2 AA 787s that have flown but not delivered are, I believe, fully outfitted with their seats.
Hainan Airlines announced in a public filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange today that they intend to purchase 30 787-9s. However, I believe that these 30 787-9s will be a mix of purchase and leased 787-9. LN 430 (ZB763) is an aircraft earmarked for Air Lease Corp. (owned by Steven Udvar Hazy) and leased to Hainan Airlines. ALC has 15 787-9s on order with Boeing so I wouldn't be surprised if the final order is 15 leased from ALC and 15 new 787-9 from Boeing. An article by Jon Ostrower in the Wall Street Journal says that deliveries are to start in 2021 and these slots were some of United Airlines 787-9 slots which are being given up in exchange for the 777-300ER order that UAL intends to place with Boeing. These slots were initially offered to American Airlines which turned them down as they are focused on introducing the 787-8 into the fleet (replacing 767-200).
Air China is expecting to take delivery of its first Trent powered 787-9 (LN 419, ZB047) next year as well as part of their order of 15 aircraft. In a bit of disappointing news, it seems that Rwandair will be buying 2 A330s instead of the 787. The carrier had options on 2 787s which were expected to be exercised for two of the "terrible teens" that are sitting on the Everett runway. Rumor is that Ethiopian came in with a higher bid for these aircraft. Another rumor is that EVA Air is in the final stages of buying the 787-10 as well as 777F. The number of each is unknown. If true it would be a huge boost for the 787-10 which hasn't received an order since early last year and a 3 plane commitment from ANA.
Lastly, a personal note from me.
I've started this blog almost 7 years ago and I've been complimented by many readers over the years and I certainly appreciate it. The highest form of flattery is when people start to imitate you or cite the information that is in this blog, However there are certain individuals who have used the information in my posts or in the tables I have created without giving proper credit and have passed it on as if it is their own. I have struggled to figure out want to do including communicating with the offenders but they have continued to steal my information. I am considering making this a pay site but have not reached a definitive decision as of yet and not sure if that would solve the problem. My intention for a long time was to just have a free blog that enthusiasts will enjoy reading but it seems that a few bad apples are intent on ruining this for their own gain. I will keep you all apprised of my final decision regarding this blog. Thank you for reading!
787 Full Production Table
Total 787 Deliveries By Customer
2015 Projected Operator Deliveries
2015 Projected Customer Deliveries
2015 Projected Operator Deliveries
2015 Projected Customer Deliveries
787 Build Location By Customer
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