Brendan Kearney of the Charleston's Post and Courier, reports that Boeing will deliver the first 787 (first commercial jet airplane) built outside of the Puget Sound region tomorrow to Air India. The delivery was held up (again) due to Government of India bureaucracy. According Kearney, Boeing spokesperson told him that the airplane will be delivered tomorrow morning at about 8:30AM EDT in a "low key" ceremony that will end 90 minutes later. There will be a few minor officials at the "ceremony." The aircraft is due to fly away to India on Oct. 6th. The aircraft ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI).
In other delivery news, a posting on Airliners.net revealed a tentative plan for 787 deliveries in October. Here they are listed BUT PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THESE ARE TENTATIVE AND MORE THAN LIKELY WILL SHIFT. PLEASE DO NOT CRITICIZE IF THE PLAN DOESN'T MATCH REALITY. NO ONE, INCLUDING BOEING HAS MUCH CONTROL OVER FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE EVENTUAL DELIVERY DATE.
Air India
ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI)
ZA238 (LN 54, VT-ANJ)
ANA
ZA511 (LN 63, JA816A)
Ethiopian Airlines
ZA261 (LN 44, ET-AOP)
ZA264 (LN 75, ET-AOS)
Hainan Airlines
ZA430 (LN 73, B-2728)
LAN
ZA537 (LN 74, CC-BBB)
Qatar Airways
ZA460 (LN 57, A7-BCA)
ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB)
ZA463 (LN 64, A7-BCL)
United Airlines
ZA290 (LN 77, N26906)
Possible Delivery in October:
China Southern Airlines
ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727)
Through October 3, 2012 Boeing has delivered 27 787, 24 in 2012 alone and 1 in October.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Aspire Aviation: 787-8 still overweight, 787-9 is not
In a wide ranging article, Aspire Aviation revealed today several newsworthy aspects of the 787s program and the future of the variants of the base 787-8 aircraft.
First off the article addresses the 787-8 status. While the program is now well into production and delivery of the base 787-8 model, Boeing is planning to hit the 5/month milestone on November. It is hoped that the ramp up to 7/month will occur in March/April 2013. Assuming that Boeing is producing 5 787 for the first 5 months of 2013 and 7 for the last 7 months (there's a lag between the increased production rate and delivery of those airplanes at the increase rate thus I'm assuming that the 10/rate airplanes won't be delivered until January 2014) Boeing can deliver 84 787s not including 787s from the EMC.
The weight of the787-8 is still an issue with the current production block still at about 4 tonnes overweight according to Aspire's sources. It was hoped that by the 90th aircraft (LN 90) that the weight would be down to the original spec weight but this appears to have slipped. It is unknown when Boeing will achieve the original spec weight though the culprit seems to be a shortage of parts that are weight optimized for both the 787-9 and the 787-8.
Speaking of the 787-9 this variant looks to be doing extremely well from a weight and development point of view. The word is that the first 787-9s will achieve weight targets set by Boeing with further production blocks coming in underweight by around 2%. This is all a result of the testing done on the 787-8 and understanding what was over-engineered. At some point there will be weight savings that will be put back into the 787-8 but it does appear it will take a while. ZB001 (LN 126) will be the first 787-9 that is to be assembled and it does look like that this should take place starting around February or March. What is unclear at this point is how many 787-9s will be part of the testing and certification program. I don't think it will be 6 but perhaps 2-3 airframes. Already Boeing suppliers are producing some of the fuselage sections of the 787-9.
Aspire's report also touched upon the 787-10X which is now rumored to be targeted for an authority to offer by the Boeing Board of Directors as early as this month. The 2nd stretch variant will build upon the 787-9 using the same wing and able to fit 323 passengers in a 3 class layout. This model along with the 787-9 can effectively kill the Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 while also severely hurting the sales of the A350-800, A350-900 and even the A350-1000 all of which are under severe schedule pressure as it is. There are numerous European, Asian and Middle Eastern customers that are salivating at the thought of the 787-10 and I wouldn't be surprised if Boeing has a few surprise orders in hand by the end of the year for this model if it has the authority to offer. Aspire's speculates that with a launch late this year, Boeing will have a firm configuration by the end of 2nd quarter of 2014. roll out of the test aircraft in 2017 and EIS in 2018/2019 though I would think that with a rollout in 2017 Boeing should have the ability to achieve EIS in 2018 at the latest since it is a straight forward stretch variant. It shouldn't take 2 years to test and certify a simple stretch variant of the 787-9.
First off the article addresses the 787-8 status. While the program is now well into production and delivery of the base 787-8 model, Boeing is planning to hit the 5/month milestone on November. It is hoped that the ramp up to 7/month will occur in March/April 2013. Assuming that Boeing is producing 5 787 for the first 5 months of 2013 and 7 for the last 7 months (there's a lag between the increased production rate and delivery of those airplanes at the increase rate thus I'm assuming that the 10/rate airplanes won't be delivered until January 2014) Boeing can deliver 84 787s not including 787s from the EMC.
The weight of the787-8 is still an issue with the current production block still at about 4 tonnes overweight according to Aspire's sources. It was hoped that by the 90th aircraft (LN 90) that the weight would be down to the original spec weight but this appears to have slipped. It is unknown when Boeing will achieve the original spec weight though the culprit seems to be a shortage of parts that are weight optimized for both the 787-9 and the 787-8.
Speaking of the 787-9 this variant looks to be doing extremely well from a weight and development point of view. The word is that the first 787-9s will achieve weight targets set by Boeing with further production blocks coming in underweight by around 2%. This is all a result of the testing done on the 787-8 and understanding what was over-engineered. At some point there will be weight savings that will be put back into the 787-8 but it does appear it will take a while. ZB001 (LN 126) will be the first 787-9 that is to be assembled and it does look like that this should take place starting around February or March. What is unclear at this point is how many 787-9s will be part of the testing and certification program. I don't think it will be 6 but perhaps 2-3 airframes. Already Boeing suppliers are producing some of the fuselage sections of the 787-9.
Aspire's report also touched upon the 787-10X which is now rumored to be targeted for an authority to offer by the Boeing Board of Directors as early as this month. The 2nd stretch variant will build upon the 787-9 using the same wing and able to fit 323 passengers in a 3 class layout. This model along with the 787-9 can effectively kill the Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 while also severely hurting the sales of the A350-800, A350-900 and even the A350-1000 all of which are under severe schedule pressure as it is. There are numerous European, Asian and Middle Eastern customers that are salivating at the thought of the 787-10 and I wouldn't be surprised if Boeing has a few surprise orders in hand by the end of the year for this model if it has the authority to offer. Aspire's speculates that with a launch late this year, Boeing will have a firm configuration by the end of 2nd quarter of 2014. roll out of the test aircraft in 2017 and EIS in 2018/2019 though I would think that with a rollout in 2017 Boeing should have the ability to achieve EIS in 2018 at the latest since it is a straight forward stretch variant. It shouldn't take 2 years to test and certify a simple stretch variant of the 787-9.
Strategic Aero: Qatar 787 delivery to come very soon
According to Saj Ahmad of Strategic Aero Research, Boeing will make a contractual delivery of the Qatar Airways' first 787 this week (today, tomorrow, or day after tomorrow). The aircraft is ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB). A delivery ceremony will occur around Oct. 17th with fly away to Doha soon after that. He has high confidence that this will occur during the next two weeks. A second source confirms that delivery will be made well before Oct. 17th (didn't have a date).
The reason of the delay are issues with the IFE supplied by Thales. U Turn Al's outburst was for the benefit of the media (Qatar privately is happy with the GEnx engines) but I wouldn't discount any other motives such as trying to get more compensation from either GE or Boeing.
I'll keep my ears to the ground to hear about any contractual delivery made this week to Qatar Airways.
The reason of the delay are issues with the IFE supplied by Thales. U Turn Al's outburst was for the benefit of the media (Qatar privately is happy with the GEnx engines) but I wouldn't discount any other motives such as trying to get more compensation from either GE or Boeing.
I'll keep my ears to the ground to hear about any contractual delivery made this week to Qatar Airways.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Qatar Airways delaying 787 delivery
Well U Turn Al (Akbar Al-Baker for the uninitiated), the CEO of Qatar Airways, is at it again. The bane of both Boeing and Airbus is now saying that Qatar Airways won't accept any 787s until the FMS (fan mid shaft) in each of his 787s are replaced. Currently 10% of the 787s he ordered is outside at Everett waiting to be delivered. The demand defies logic in the face of the investigation and recommendations made by the NTSB, FAA, GE and Boeing. Thus far the cracks of the FMS is attributable (it appears) to the coating on the FMS. GE is altering the way it applies the coating but it does not appear that the FMS has to be changed out in total unless crack have been discovered. The FA also has put out recommendations for airlines to inspect the FMS every 90 days for cracks. With action on the issues facing the GEnx engines, airlines are continuing to fly the engine on both the 787 and 747. U Turn Al is trying to leverage this issue for more compensation from GE it appears.
The whole issue of the delays is further clouded by other possible reason for the delay:
1) Refurbishment of the interior after Qatar insisted that Boeing displays its first 787 at the Farnborough Air Show.
2) Wholesale change out of the interior which necessitated the aircraft to go to California to have the interior changed out by the OEM as Boeing couldn't do it.
3) Issues with the IFE/WIFI system that Qatar had bought from Thales.
So the bottom line is when will deliveries commence? A source has told me that deliveries should commence no earlier than the end of October but don't be surprised if this is pushed even beyond that. At the end of the day this is not Boeing's fault but rather the actions of a press hungry, attention seeking, egomaniacal airline executive.
Boeing is also waiting to deliver the 1st 787 built in Charleston to Air India. Once again (unsurprisingly) the delivery is being held up by the Government of India. ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI) is ready to be delivered but there is no word on when from Boeing. It was expected last week but never occurred. Rumor has it that it could be this Thursday, Oct. 4th but I've heard that one before. We'll truly know when the aircraft is wheels up out of Charleston and heading for India.
On the bright side, Boeing delivered ANA's 15th 787 which was ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) on Sunday and was flown to Japan last night. Boeing is now up to 26 deliveries over all, 23 in 2012 and 7 in September.
The whole issue of the delays is further clouded by other possible reason for the delay:
1) Refurbishment of the interior after Qatar insisted that Boeing displays its first 787 at the Farnborough Air Show.
2) Wholesale change out of the interior which necessitated the aircraft to go to California to have the interior changed out by the OEM as Boeing couldn't do it.
3) Issues with the IFE/WIFI system that Qatar had bought from Thales.
So the bottom line is when will deliveries commence? A source has told me that deliveries should commence no earlier than the end of October but don't be surprised if this is pushed even beyond that. At the end of the day this is not Boeing's fault but rather the actions of a press hungry, attention seeking, egomaniacal airline executive.
Boeing is also waiting to deliver the 1st 787 built in Charleston to Air India. Once again (unsurprisingly) the delivery is being held up by the Government of India. ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI) is ready to be delivered but there is no word on when from Boeing. It was expected last week but never occurred. Rumor has it that it could be this Thursday, Oct. 4th but I've heard that one before. We'll truly know when the aircraft is wheels up out of Charleston and heading for India.
On the bright side, Boeing delivered ANA's 15th 787 which was ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) on Sunday and was flown to Japan last night. Boeing is now up to 26 deliveries over all, 23 in 2012 and 7 in September.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
787 production update
Not much has changed in the last few weeks. Boeing seems to working the change incorporation program in reverse numerical order with airplanes 10 to 19 seemingly slated to be be the last batch to go through the EMC.
Boeing did get one 787 (for Ethiopian) done with change incorporation but that aircraft, ZA261 (LN 44, ET-AOP), is now back at the EMC. Over the last couple of days, media reports said that there is a second 787 that had a cracked fan mid-shaft. I believe that this Ethiopian Dreamliner is that aircraft and is back at the EMC to have a replacement engine fitted. Once this airplane has cleared out I expect that ZA381 (LN 36) for China Southern will take its place to begin change incorporation.
Boeing did move ZA260 (LN 39, ET-AOO) to the EMC to start the change incorporation process in the meantime. Also a litle interesting is that two airplanes on the final assembly line seemed to have switched places. ZA432 (LN 79) for Hainan Airlines and ZA271 (LN 78) for LOT Polish Airlines were in positions 3 and 4 respectively in building 40-26. Now they seemed to have reversed positions. The only reason I can think of is that Boeing may not have space and wanted to complete work on the Hainan Dreamliner before rolling both airplanes out to the flightline to start pre-flight. Currently in 40-26 there are 4 airplanes occupying all four assembly positions as well as one 787 in 40-24 occupying the first assembly position on the surge line in that building. I do expect to see a line move early next week.
Lastly, I can't confirm if any more 787s have been delivered in the last couple of days but evidence does point to Air India taking delivery either tomorrow (Sunday, Sept. 30) or Monday (Oct. 1) of ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI) which is the 1st 787 built by the Boeing Charleston team. Rumor has it that Jim McNerney will be there to celebrate the first 787 (really the first Boeing commercial airplane) built outside of the Puget Sound region. It will be more of a celebration of that fact rather than a celebration of Air India receiving another 787. A second Charleston built 787 left this afternoon for Ft. Worth to be painted joining an Everett built 787 for Ethiopian already there. I expect the Ethiopian Dremaliner to fly back in the next 2-3 days and the Air India 787 to return to Charleston in the next 10-14 days.
Boeing did get one 787 (for Ethiopian) done with change incorporation but that aircraft, ZA261 (LN 44, ET-AOP), is now back at the EMC. Over the last couple of days, media reports said that there is a second 787 that had a cracked fan mid-shaft. I believe that this Ethiopian Dreamliner is that aircraft and is back at the EMC to have a replacement engine fitted. Once this airplane has cleared out I expect that ZA381 (LN 36) for China Southern will take its place to begin change incorporation.
Boeing did move ZA260 (LN 39, ET-AOO) to the EMC to start the change incorporation process in the meantime. Also a litle interesting is that two airplanes on the final assembly line seemed to have switched places. ZA432 (LN 79) for Hainan Airlines and ZA271 (LN 78) for LOT Polish Airlines were in positions 3 and 4 respectively in building 40-26. Now they seemed to have reversed positions. The only reason I can think of is that Boeing may not have space and wanted to complete work on the Hainan Dreamliner before rolling both airplanes out to the flightline to start pre-flight. Currently in 40-26 there are 4 airplanes occupying all four assembly positions as well as one 787 in 40-24 occupying the first assembly position on the surge line in that building. I do expect to see a line move early next week.
Lastly, I can't confirm if any more 787s have been delivered in the last couple of days but evidence does point to Air India taking delivery either tomorrow (Sunday, Sept. 30) or Monday (Oct. 1) of ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI) which is the 1st 787 built by the Boeing Charleston team. Rumor has it that Jim McNerney will be there to celebrate the first 787 (really the first Boeing commercial airplane) built outside of the Puget Sound region. It will be more of a celebration of that fact rather than a celebration of Air India receiving another 787. A second Charleston built 787 left this afternoon for Ft. Worth to be painted joining an Everett built 787 for Ethiopian already there. I expect the Ethiopian Dremaliner to fly back in the next 2-3 days and the Air India 787 to return to Charleston in the next 10-14 days.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Updated 787 Delivery Information for September and October
According to a posting on Airliners.net (huge thanks and props to RobK), Boeing is looking to finish off September with four more deliveries over the next three days. The usual suspects are targetted for September:
Air India - ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI)
ANA - ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A)
Ethiopian - ZA263 (LN 71, ET-AOR)
Qatar Airways - ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB)
I think that ANA and Air India should deliver tomorrow with Ethiopian dleivering around Friday and Qatar on Saturday. This is mearly speculation on my part. As always take this information with a grain of salt. If the above does occur and they're all delivered by September 30, then Boeing would have achieved 10 787 deliveries this month.
However Boeing is looking to at least try to equal that number in October. Boeing is attempting to deliver 10 787s next month as well:
Air India - ZA238 (LN 54, VT-ANJ)
ANA - ZA511 (LN 63, JA816A)
China Southern Airlines - ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727) - This is a big maybe for October
Ethiopian - ZA261 (LN 44, ET-AOP) and ZA264 (LN 75, ET-AOS)
Hainan Airlines - ZA430 (LN 73, B-2728)
LAN - ZA537 (LN 74, CC-BBB)
Qatar Airways - ZA460 (LN 57, A7-BCA) and ZA463 (LN 64, A7-BCL)
United Airlines - ZA2990 (LN 77, N26906)
Again take this information with a grain of salt as circumstances do change.
Air India - ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI)
ANA - ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A)
Ethiopian - ZA263 (LN 71, ET-AOR)
Qatar Airways - ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB)
I think that ANA and Air India should deliver tomorrow with Ethiopian dleivering around Friday and Qatar on Saturday. This is mearly speculation on my part. As always take this information with a grain of salt. If the above does occur and they're all delivered by September 30, then Boeing would have achieved 10 787 deliveries this month.
However Boeing is looking to at least try to equal that number in October. Boeing is attempting to deliver 10 787s next month as well:
Air India - ZA238 (LN 54, VT-ANJ)
ANA - ZA511 (LN 63, JA816A)
China Southern Airlines - ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727) - This is a big maybe for October
Ethiopian - ZA261 (LN 44, ET-AOP) and ZA264 (LN 75, ET-AOS)
Hainan Airlines - ZA430 (LN 73, B-2728)
LAN - ZA537 (LN 74, CC-BBB)
Qatar Airways - ZA460 (LN 57, A7-BCA) and ZA463 (LN 64, A7-BCL)
United Airlines - ZA2990 (LN 77, N26906)
Again take this information with a grain of salt as circumstances do change.
Boeing 787 firing order updated
I've been able to update the firing order for the 787. Not too much of a surprise but two new customers will be getting aircraft from this batch including the first lessor, ILFC. Here's the round up but please keep in mind that this firing order can change.
Charleston
The Charleston plant will be building 3 Dreamliners including one for Air India (ZA243) and 2 for China Southern (ZA384 and ZA385). These are existing customers.
Everett
With the surge line now operational we'll be seeing an increase in output from Everett. First delivery customers are ILFC (being leased to Aeromexico) (ZA560) and Thomson Airways (ZA317) and (ZA318). Current customers include China Southern (ZA383), ANA (ZA513), Japan Airlines (ZA185), and Qatar Airways (ZA465).
In the meantime two more 787s have gone into the paint Hangar including the first 787 for LOT Polish Airlines, ZA270 (LN 61, SP-LRA) and the 4th 787 for Ethiopian ZA261 (LN 44, ET-AOP).
Charleston
The Charleston plant will be building 3 Dreamliners including one for Air India (ZA243) and 2 for China Southern (ZA384 and ZA385). These are existing customers.
Everett
With the surge line now operational we'll be seeing an increase in output from Everett. First delivery customers are ILFC (being leased to Aeromexico) (ZA560) and Thomson Airways (ZA317) and (ZA318). Current customers include China Southern (ZA383), ANA (ZA513), Japan Airlines (ZA185), and Qatar Airways (ZA465).
In the meantime two more 787s have gone into the paint Hangar including the first 787 for LOT Polish Airlines, ZA270 (LN 61, SP-LRA) and the 4th 787 for Ethiopian ZA261 (LN 44, ET-AOP).
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Boeing up to 22 787 deliveries in 2012 more to follow
Boeing has delivered it 25 787 overall and 22nd of this year. Boeing has also surpassed the most deliveries for one month and is now up to 6 787s delivered this month with the potential for 3 to 4 more by the end of this week. ZA178, (LN 27, JA824J) was delivered yesterday afternoon and I believe it should fly away tonight. There aren't any deliveries planned for today but I do believe we can see the first Charleston built 787 delivered this week to Air India, ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI) as well as one more to ANA, ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) and one more to Ethiopian ZA263 (LN 71, ET-AOR). It is possible for Qatar first 787, ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) to be delivered but there is still no word on this. If all four aforementioned aircraft are delivered then Boeing would have achieved 10 deliveries in one month and would have delivered 29 787s to 7 customers. The 2012 total would be 26 and they would need to deliver 8 airplanes per month over the next quarter to achieve 50 787 deliveries.. a doable but challenging task.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Can Boeing deliver 50 787s this year?
Boeing has delivered 21 787s this year but how many more can they expect to deliver by the end of the year? Boeing stated goal is to deliver between 30 and 42 787s this year. They'll certainly make the lower end of their estimate but can they deliver 50 787s by the end of the year? Assuming that Boeing delivers 4 more 787s by the end of September (9 deliveries in September) then they would have delivered 25 787s through the 3rd quarter of 2012.
Here's a look at what the airlines are expecting in the last quarter:
Air India - 4
ANA - 3
China Southern - 2
JAL - 2
Ethiopian - 3
Hainan - 3
LAN - 2
Polish LOT - 2
Qatar Airways - 5
United - 4
This adds up to 30 airplanes in total but does not include airplanes that I expect to be delivered in the remainder of September. So this is what I think will be the final number:
Delivered (through 9/23/2012) - 21
Remaining September Deliveries - 4
Projected 4th quarter deliveries - 30
Total - 55
Of course this is my best efforts guesstimate and it all depends on how well Boeing can work through the backlog of airplanes sitting at Charleston and Everett that have finish all assembly activities.
Here's a look at what the airlines are expecting in the last quarter:
Air India - 4
ANA - 3
China Southern - 2
JAL - 2
Ethiopian - 3
Hainan - 3
LAN - 2
Polish LOT - 2
Qatar Airways - 5
United - 4
This adds up to 30 airplanes in total but does not include airplanes that I expect to be delivered in the remainder of September. So this is what I think will be the final number:
Delivered (through 9/23/2012) - 21
Remaining September Deliveries - 4
Projected 4th quarter deliveries - 30
Total - 55
Of course this is my best efforts guesstimate and it all depends on how well Boeing can work through the backlog of airplanes sitting at Charleston and Everett that have finish all assembly activities.
Boeing delivers 14th 787 to ANA
Yesterday Boeing delivered the 14th 787 to ANA. This comes on top of ANA exercising 11 787-9 options increasing their planned 787 fleet to 66 from 55. Boeing delivered ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A). Boeing now has delivered 24 total 787s and 21 in 2012 alone. Thus far this month, Boeing has delivered 5 787s with 4 more (possibly 5) planned for delivery in the next few days.
Boeing confirms 787 delivery to United Airlines
This morning Boeing confirmed that they had indeed delivered the first 787 to United airlines. United is the first US-based airline to operate the Dreamliner. It was delivered from Everett and was taken on a flight to Moses Lake and then flew to Boeing Field. It is not known when it will be flown to Houston. United is the 6th global airline to receive the 787 and will be placed into domestic service starting in November before rolling out to international service around the December/January time frame. United will take delivery of one more 787 in October, 2 in November and one more in December. Through today, September 24, 2012, Boeing has delivered 23 787 and 20 of them have delivered this year.
Here's Boeing Statement:
Jeff Smisek, president and CEO of United, said, "As the North American launch customer, we are delighted to be getting our first 787 Dreamliner. As we continue to build the world's leading airline, we are excited for our customers and co-workers to experience this game-changing aircraft."
United has announced it will initially use the 787 on international routes to Africa, Asia and Europe. The airline will conduct temporary domestic flights before transitioning its 787 fleet to international service in late 2012.
"This 787 delivery represents the continuation in the more than 80-year partnership between our two companies," said Ray Conner, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "United now begins a new chapter with the 787 Dreamliner, the most technologically advanced commercial jetliner ever built. It reinforces United's commitment to be the world's leading airline by providing unmatched fuel efficiency and passenger comfort."
Made from composite materials, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the first mid-size airplane capable of flying long-range routes and will allow airlines to open new, non-stop routes preferred by the traveling public. In addition to providing airlines with unprecedented fuel economy and low operating costs, the 787 features a host of new technologies that greatly enhance the passenger experience.
This delivery marks the first of 50 Dreamliners that United has on order. The airline's 787 cabin is configured with 36 seats in United BusinessFirst, 72 seats in United Economy Plus and 111 seats in United Economy. Customers will be more comfortable with improved lighting, bigger windows, larger overhead bins, lower cabin altitude and enhanced ventilation systems, among other features.
United's first Dreamliner is expected to arrive in Houston later this week to begin a month-long training and certification program including non-commercial flights to each of United's domestic hubs.
Here's Boeing Statement:
Boeing Delivers United Airlines' First 787 Dreamliner
- United is the first North American carrier to fly the 787
- Dreamliner opens new routes for United
EVERETT, Wash., Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) and United Airlines announced today the delivery of the airline's first 787 Dreamliner. United is the first airline in North America to take delivery of the 787.Jeff Smisek, president and CEO of United, said, "As the North American launch customer, we are delighted to be getting our first 787 Dreamliner. As we continue to build the world's leading airline, we are excited for our customers and co-workers to experience this game-changing aircraft."
United has announced it will initially use the 787 on international routes to Africa, Asia and Europe. The airline will conduct temporary domestic flights before transitioning its 787 fleet to international service in late 2012.
"This 787 delivery represents the continuation in the more than 80-year partnership between our two companies," said Ray Conner, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "United now begins a new chapter with the 787 Dreamliner, the most technologically advanced commercial jetliner ever built. It reinforces United's commitment to be the world's leading airline by providing unmatched fuel efficiency and passenger comfort."
Made from composite materials, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the first mid-size airplane capable of flying long-range routes and will allow airlines to open new, non-stop routes preferred by the traveling public. In addition to providing airlines with unprecedented fuel economy and low operating costs, the 787 features a host of new technologies that greatly enhance the passenger experience.
This delivery marks the first of 50 Dreamliners that United has on order. The airline's 787 cabin is configured with 36 seats in United BusinessFirst, 72 seats in United Economy Plus and 111 seats in United Economy. Customers will be more comfortable with improved lighting, bigger windows, larger overhead bins, lower cabin altitude and enhanced ventilation systems, among other features.
United's first Dreamliner is expected to arrive in Houston later this week to begin a month-long training and certification program including non-commercial flights to each of United's domestic hubs.
Friday, September 21, 2012
United's 1st 787 could be delivered very soon
UPDATE (9/23/12, 1:33PM EDT): For real this time, This popped up on Flightaware not too long ago: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL7708 this suggests that United took delivery but it's interesting to note that this is a test flight to Grant Co. where Boeing conducts a lot of test flights.
UPDATE (9/22/12, 12:55PM EDT): Now getting word that it's still in Seattle. Trying to get a confirmation on departure.
UPDATE (9/22/12, 9:55AM EDT): Several sources are saying that ZA288 (LN 53, N20904) delivered yesterday, went to Boeign Field and this morning is flyingto Houston as UA 6864. It doesn't show up on Flightaware. Delivery ceremony might be taking place in Houston.
Right now a rumor but the first 787 for United is rumored to be ready for delivery and could be delivered anytime between now and the end of this weekend. Noting solid yet but I'm watching Flightaware for movement. Earlier today United's pilots took ZA288 (LN 53, N20904) for a spin around Washington State. The aircraft is rumored to be ready for delivery and may go to Boeing Field either before or for the delivery ceremony.
UPDATE (9/22/12, 12:55PM EDT): Now getting word that it's still in Seattle. Trying to get a confirmation on departure.
UPDATE (9/22/12, 9:55AM EDT): Several sources are saying that ZA288 (LN 53, N20904) delivered yesterday, went to Boeign Field and this morning is flyingto Houston as UA 6864. It doesn't show up on Flightaware. Delivery ceremony might be taking place in Houston.
Right now a rumor but the first 787 for United is rumored to be ready for delivery and could be delivered anytime between now and the end of this weekend. Noting solid yet but I'm watching Flightaware for movement. Earlier today United's pilots took ZA288 (LN 53, N20904) for a spin around Washington State. The aircraft is rumored to be ready for delivery and may go to Boeing Field either before or for the delivery ceremony.
Qatar Airways 787 delivery delayed due to IFE, internet connectivity issues
The expected delivery of Qatar Airways' first 787 is being delayed because of issues with the IFE and specifically the Internet connectivity that the airline is equipping on its 787 fleet. They continue to test the aircraft even as far as flying it to Yuma Arizona on Sept. 20th and back. The Qatar Airways' delivery team from Doha is in Seattle right now so there must be hope that the issues would be resolved soon. No date has been set for delivery at this time. In related news, Strategic Aero has an interesting article about 777X and Qatar pushing Boeing to offer the aircraft for sale.
Boeing does continue to fly several Dreamliners that are slated for delivery soon including those for United, ANA (2), JAL and Ethiopian. These airplanes maybe delivered this week into next week and it is rumored that United pilots took out the 1st 787 for it's final customer test flight today prior to delivery. It does seem that Boeing is making a big push to get many of the 787s out the door as possible before the end of the month (and end of quarter). Here are the planes that I see possibly being delivered in the last 10 days of September:
Air India
ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI)
ANA
ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A)
ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A)
JAL
ZA178 (LN 27, JA824J)
Ethiopian
ZA263 (LN 71, ET-AOR)
United Airlines
ZA288 (LN 53, N20904)
Qatar Airways (tentative)
ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB)
If Boeing can get these seven airplanes delivered (they're very close) then they would have delivered 10 787s this month.
Boeing does continue to fly several Dreamliners that are slated for delivery soon including those for United, ANA (2), JAL and Ethiopian. These airplanes maybe delivered this week into next week and it is rumored that United pilots took out the 1st 787 for it's final customer test flight today prior to delivery. It does seem that Boeing is making a big push to get many of the 787s out the door as possible before the end of the month (and end of quarter). Here are the planes that I see possibly being delivered in the last 10 days of September:
Air India
ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI)
ANA
ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A)
ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A)
JAL
ZA178 (LN 27, JA824J)
Ethiopian
ZA263 (LN 71, ET-AOR)
United Airlines
ZA288 (LN 53, N20904)
Qatar Airways (tentative)
ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB)
If Boeing can get these seven airplanes delivered (they're very close) then they would have delivered 10 787s this month.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Short post on 787 deliveries
UPDATE (9/18/2012): It appears that Boeign has delivered another 787 to Air India yesterday. Flightaware is showing a delivery flight from Charleston to Frankfurt for AI 170 leaving at 3PM EST.
Media reports has British Airways receiving it's first 787 in May 2013 while LOT Polish Airlines is expecting its first 787 on November 15, 2012.
Lastly, I'm hearing Qatar Airways should be taking delivery of their first 787 sometime around Thursday September 18 and fly away the following day for arrival on Saturday in Doha. The aircraft that will be delivered will be ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB). This information has not been confirmed.
Media reports has British Airways receiving it's first 787 in May 2013 while LOT Polish Airlines is expecting its first 787 on November 15, 2012.
Lastly, I'm hearing Qatar Airways should be taking delivery of their first 787 sometime around Thursday September 18 and fly away the following day for arrival on Saturday in Doha. The aircraft that will be delivered will be ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB). This information has not been confirmed.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Boeing continues to fly GEnx engines on 787 and 747
Boeing, after having performed the necessary ultrasound inspections on the GEnx engines on the airplanes they have in pre-flight, flew three GE engined aircraft today (out of 4 airplanes). This does give some reassurance that deliveries of these airplanes (a least to specific customers) are moving forward. Again I don't expect Air India to take any more airplanes until at least the NTSB, GE and Boeing discover the root cause of the crack in the Fan Midshaft and implement corrective actions and/or a re-design. There would be considerable amount time added as the fan midshaft of the these engines will all have to be replaced once the root cause and a solution is found. Today ZA263 and ZA264 both for Ethiopian flew test flights. Both these flights were the B-2 flights though ZA264 still has to be painted and will probably be painted in Ft. Worth.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
GEnx problems slow down 787 deliveries
Another set back for GE powered 787s and 747-8s as the NTSB is recommmending that operators of the 787 and 747-8 (F and I) conduct ultrasound inspection of the GEnx-1B and GEnx-2B Fan Midshaft as possible corrosion issue may produce cracks that would eventually lead to fractures of this vital part. In the short term the NTSB is recommending that the FAA issue an emergency airworthiness directive requiring that operators do the ultrasound before the flying the aircraft and then at regular frequent intervals thereafter to catch any possible cracks before they become a problem.
The NTSB has identified one 787 at Everett that has one engine with a cracks in the Fan Midshaft. They along with GE and Boeing are trying to discover the root cause of the cracks and with the failure of a 2nd GEnx engine and discovery of cracks in a third, the investigation has taken on more urgency. So far it looks like many of the 787s and 747-8s have been inspected and Boeing continues to conduct test flights of both airplanes with the GE engine but this issue already is affecting deliveries. Air India has already said that they will not take anymore 787s until a root cause is discovered. It is rumored that Qatar Airways may follow suit while other carriers that have ordered the GE engine have yet to make their intentions known. So far GEnx engines have been delivered to Air India, Ethiopian and JAL. JAL and Ethipian continue to fly the 787s as is Lufthansa with the 747-8I and thus far there hasn't been any word on these airlines pulling the aircraft from service.
Here's the full text of the NTSB statement:
In this letter, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommends that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) take urgent action to address safety issues that have been identified in the NTSB’s ongoing investigation of a fan midshaft (FMS) fracture and crack in zero-time General Electric (GE) GEnx-1B engines on Boeing 787 airplanes and a possible FMS fracture on a low-time GEnx-2B engine on a Boeing 747-8F airplane.
On July 28, 2012, a Boeing 787-8 airplane experienced a loss of thrust in the right engine—a General Electric (GE) GEnx-1B turbofan, engine serial number (ESN) 956-121—during a pre-first flight, low-speed taxi test at Charleston International Airport, Charleston, South Carolina. As the airplane was accelerating through 40 knots, the No. 2 engine’s N12 speed rolled back and the pilots retarded the throttles to abort the test. The airplane taxied back to the ramp, where the engines were shut down. A visual inspection of the engine during the NTSB’s investigation revealed the low pressure turbine (LPT) rotor had shifted aft and extensive damage to the LPT blades and vanes. Further examination of the engine revealed the forward end of the FMS was separated at the rear of the threads. The fractured end of the FMS with the retaining nut still in place was removed from the engine and sent to GE, Cincinnati, Ohio, for dimensional inspection and metallurgical examination. The engine was subsequently removed from the airplane and also sent to GE in Cincinnati for disassembly and examination. The engine had not yet been operated in flight, having only been operated during post-production tests at GE and post-installation ground runs at Boeing in Charleston.
As a result of the ongoing investigation into the FMS separation that occurred on ESN 956-121 at Charleston, GE developed an ultrasonic inspection to scan the forward end of the FMS under the threads where the fracture occurred. On August 13, 2012, a GEnx-1B engine, ESN 956-175, installed on a 787-8 airplane that had not yet flown was found to have an indication of a similar crack on the FMS. Like ESN 956-121, this engine had not been operated in flight and had only operated during post-production tests at GE and post-installation ground runs at Boeing in Seattle, Washington. The engine was removed from the airplane and shipped to GE, Durham, North Carolina, for disassembly and further ultrasonic tests that confirmed the crack. The FMS was removed from the engine and shipped to GE in Cincinnati for further inspection and examination.
Examination of the FMS from ESNs 956-121 and 956-175 revealed that they conformed with the engineering drawing’s requirements. Metallurgical examination of the FMS from ESN 956-121 revealed a progressive fracture that had initiated from multiple origins around the outer circumference of the FMS at the root of the rearmost thread. The progressive fracture covered about half of the fracture face.
Although the fracture in the ESN 956-121 FMS was progressive in nature, the examination of the fracture surface in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) did not reveal any striations that would be typical of a fatigue fracture. Rather, the SEM examination revealed a faceted, quasi-cleavage fracture morphology that is typical of environmentally assisted cracking4 of certain high strength steel alloys such as that used on the GEnx FMS. The metallurgical examination of the FMS from ESN 956-175 revealed several progressive cracks that had initiated around the outer circumference at the root of the rearmost thread. The morphology of these fracture surfaces was consistent with what had been observed on the FMS from ESN 956-121. The investigation into the cause of the environmentally assisted cracking that occurred in the ESN 956-121 and -175 FMSs is continuing.
On September 11, 2012, a Boeing 747-8F (operated by Air Bridge Cargo, a Russian certificated air cargo carrier) equipped with GE GEnx-2B turbofan engines experienced a loss of power in the No. 1 engine, ESN 959-228, during the takeoff roll at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai, China. The pilots reported that as the airplane was accelerating through 50 knots, the No. 1 engine’s N1 indication dropped. The pilots rejected the takeoff and returned to the ramp, where an inspection of the No. 1 engine’s LPT revealed extensive damage. Further examination of the engine is pending, but photographs of the LPT show damage that is similar to that which was observed on GEnx-1B engine ESN 956-121 at Boeing in Charleston. Although other failure modes could cause an N1 rollback and broken blades, the damage noted on the photographs of ESN 959-228 is consistent with that observed on the engine that failed at Charleston. ESN 959-228 is reported to have accumulated approximately 1,200 hours and 240 cycles since new.
GEnx-1B engines are used on Boeing 787 airplanes and GEnx-2B engines are used on Boeing 747-8 airplanes. The GEnx-1B FMS is slightly longer than that in the -2B engine. However, the threaded end of the FMS; the manner in which it is clamped with the retaining nut;
and the assembly procedures, material specifications, and operating environment are similar between the two models. Therefore, the FMS in GEnx-2B engines may be susceptible to the same type of failure observed with the GEnX-1B FMS.
Because of the short time to failure and the fact that all of the engines on any single airplane, whether the 787 or the 747-8, have all operated for the same period of time, the NTSB is not only concerned about the potential for further fractures occurring, but also the possibility that multiple engines on the same airplane could experience an FMS failure. Although the FMS fracture that occurred on the 787 at Charleston and the incident that occurred on the 747-8 at Shanghai both happened on the runway and the pilots were able, respectively, to abort the test and the takeoff, the NTSB is concerned about the possibility of an FMS fracture occurring in flight at the limits of an airplane’s extended twin-engine overwater operations, or ETOPS, range and the airplane having to operate with one engine inoperative for up to 5 1/2 hours.
The NTSB notes that, after the FMS fracture at Charleston, GE was very expeditious in assisting 787 operators with inspecting their GEnx-1B engines using the newly developed ultrasonic inspection, which is capable of detecting cracks once they reach 0.050 inch in length. To date, all in-service and spare GEnx-1B engines have been inspected. In addition, all GEnx-2B engines on passenger airplanes and spares have been inspected. The NTSB is aware that about 47 on-wing GEnx-2B engines remain uninspected and is concerned that they continue to operate while potentially susceptible to FMS failure. Because of the immediate threat of multiple engine failures on a single aircraft and the availability of an appropriate inspection procedure, there is an urgent need for the FAA to act immediately. Therefore, the NTSB recommends that the FAA issue an airworthiness directive to require, before further flight, the ultrasonic inspection of the FMS in all GE GEnx-1B and -2B engines that have not yet undergone inspection.
In addition, the nature of the cracking that was noted on the FMS from ESNs 956-121 and 956-175 did not provide a predictable crack propagation rate that a typical fatigue crack would have. The NTSB believes that repetitive inspections are necessary to ensure that, once an initial inspection has been performed, new or sub-detection-level cracks do not propagate and cause additional failures. Therefore, the NTSB recommends that the FAA require operators to accomplish repetitive inspections of the FMS in all (on-wing and spare) GE GEnx-1B and -2B engines at a sufficiently short interval that would permit multiple inspections and the detection of a crack before it could reach critical length and the FMS fractures.
Therefore, the National Transportation Safety Board makes the following recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration:
Issue an airworthiness directive to require, before further flight, the ultrasonic inspection of the fan midshaft in all General Electric GEnx-1B and -2B engines that have not yet undergone inspection. (A-12-52) Urgent
Require operators to accomplish repetitive inspectionsmidshaft (FMS) in all (on-wing and spare) General Electric GEnx-1B and -2B engines at a sufficiently short interval that would permit multiple inspections and the detection of a crack before it could reach critical length and the FMS fractures. (A-12-53) Urgent
The NTSB has identified one 787 at Everett that has one engine with a cracks in the Fan Midshaft. They along with GE and Boeing are trying to discover the root cause of the cracks and with the failure of a 2nd GEnx engine and discovery of cracks in a third, the investigation has taken on more urgency. So far it looks like many of the 787s and 747-8s have been inspected and Boeing continues to conduct test flights of both airplanes with the GE engine but this issue already is affecting deliveries. Air India has already said that they will not take anymore 787s until a root cause is discovered. It is rumored that Qatar Airways may follow suit while other carriers that have ordered the GE engine have yet to make their intentions known. So far GEnx engines have been delivered to Air India, Ethiopian and JAL. JAL and Ethipian continue to fly the 787s as is Lufthansa with the 747-8I and thus far there hasn't been any word on these airlines pulling the aircraft from service.
Here's the full text of the NTSB statement:
On July 28, 2012, a Boeing 787-8 airplane experienced a loss of thrust in the right engine—a General Electric (GE) GEnx-1B turbofan, engine serial number (ESN) 956-121—during a pre-first flight, low-speed taxi test at Charleston International Airport, Charleston, South Carolina. As the airplane was accelerating through 40 knots, the No. 2 engine’s N12 speed rolled back and the pilots retarded the throttles to abort the test. The airplane taxied back to the ramp, where the engines were shut down. A visual inspection of the engine during the NTSB’s investigation revealed the low pressure turbine (LPT) rotor had shifted aft and extensive damage to the LPT blades and vanes. Further examination of the engine revealed the forward end of the FMS was separated at the rear of the threads. The fractured end of the FMS with the retaining nut still in place was removed from the engine and sent to GE, Cincinnati, Ohio, for dimensional inspection and metallurgical examination. The engine was subsequently removed from the airplane and also sent to GE in Cincinnati for disassembly and examination. The engine had not yet been operated in flight, having only been operated during post-production tests at GE and post-installation ground runs at Boeing in Charleston.
As a result of the ongoing investigation into the FMS separation that occurred on ESN 956-121 at Charleston, GE developed an ultrasonic inspection to scan the forward end of the FMS under the threads where the fracture occurred. On August 13, 2012, a GEnx-1B engine, ESN 956-175, installed on a 787-8 airplane that had not yet flown was found to have an indication of a similar crack on the FMS. Like ESN 956-121, this engine had not been operated in flight and had only operated during post-production tests at GE and post-installation ground runs at Boeing in Seattle, Washington. The engine was removed from the airplane and shipped to GE, Durham, North Carolina, for disassembly and further ultrasonic tests that confirmed the crack. The FMS was removed from the engine and shipped to GE in Cincinnati for further inspection and examination.
Examination of the FMS from ESNs 956-121 and 956-175 revealed that they conformed with the engineering drawing’s requirements. Metallurgical examination of the FMS from ESN 956-121 revealed a progressive fracture that had initiated from multiple origins around the outer circumference of the FMS at the root of the rearmost thread. The progressive fracture covered about half of the fracture face.
Although the fracture in the ESN 956-121 FMS was progressive in nature, the examination of the fracture surface in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) did not reveal any striations that would be typical of a fatigue fracture. Rather, the SEM examination revealed a faceted, quasi-cleavage fracture morphology that is typical of environmentally assisted cracking4 of certain high strength steel alloys such as that used on the GEnx FMS. The metallurgical examination of the FMS from ESN 956-175 revealed several progressive cracks that had initiated around the outer circumference at the root of the rearmost thread. The morphology of these fracture surfaces was consistent with what had been observed on the FMS from ESN 956-121. The investigation into the cause of the environmentally assisted cracking that occurred in the ESN 956-121 and -175 FMSs is continuing.
On September 11, 2012, a Boeing 747-8F (operated by Air Bridge Cargo, a Russian certificated air cargo carrier) equipped with GE GEnx-2B turbofan engines experienced a loss of power in the No. 1 engine, ESN 959-228, during the takeoff roll at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai, China. The pilots reported that as the airplane was accelerating through 50 knots, the No. 1 engine’s N1 indication dropped. The pilots rejected the takeoff and returned to the ramp, where an inspection of the No. 1 engine’s LPT revealed extensive damage. Further examination of the engine is pending, but photographs of the LPT show damage that is similar to that which was observed on GEnx-1B engine ESN 956-121 at Boeing in Charleston. Although other failure modes could cause an N1 rollback and broken blades, the damage noted on the photographs of ESN 959-228 is consistent with that observed on the engine that failed at Charleston. ESN 959-228 is reported to have accumulated approximately 1,200 hours and 240 cycles since new.
GEnx-1B engines are used on Boeing 787 airplanes and GEnx-2B engines are used on Boeing 747-8 airplanes. The GEnx-1B FMS is slightly longer than that in the -2B engine. However, the threaded end of the FMS; the manner in which it is clamped with the retaining nut;
and the assembly procedures, material specifications, and operating environment are similar between the two models. Therefore, the FMS in GEnx-2B engines may be susceptible to the same type of failure observed with the GEnX-1B FMS.
Because of the short time to failure and the fact that all of the engines on any single airplane, whether the 787 or the 747-8, have all operated for the same period of time, the NTSB is not only concerned about the potential for further fractures occurring, but also the possibility that multiple engines on the same airplane could experience an FMS failure. Although the FMS fracture that occurred on the 787 at Charleston and the incident that occurred on the 747-8 at Shanghai both happened on the runway and the pilots were able, respectively, to abort the test and the takeoff, the NTSB is concerned about the possibility of an FMS fracture occurring in flight at the limits of an airplane’s extended twin-engine overwater operations, or ETOPS, range and the airplane having to operate with one engine inoperative for up to 5 1/2 hours.
The NTSB notes that, after the FMS fracture at Charleston, GE was very expeditious in assisting 787 operators with inspecting their GEnx-1B engines using the newly developed ultrasonic inspection, which is capable of detecting cracks once they reach 0.050 inch in length. To date, all in-service and spare GEnx-1B engines have been inspected. In addition, all GEnx-2B engines on passenger airplanes and spares have been inspected. The NTSB is aware that about 47 on-wing GEnx-2B engines remain uninspected and is concerned that they continue to operate while potentially susceptible to FMS failure. Because of the immediate threat of multiple engine failures on a single aircraft and the availability of an appropriate inspection procedure, there is an urgent need for the FAA to act immediately. Therefore, the NTSB recommends that the FAA issue an airworthiness directive to require, before further flight, the ultrasonic inspection of the FMS in all GE GEnx-1B and -2B engines that have not yet undergone inspection.
In addition, the nature of the cracking that was noted on the FMS from ESNs 956-121 and 956-175 did not provide a predictable crack propagation rate that a typical fatigue crack would have. The NTSB believes that repetitive inspections are necessary to ensure that, once an initial inspection has been performed, new or sub-detection-level cracks do not propagate and cause additional failures. Therefore, the NTSB recommends that the FAA require operators to accomplish repetitive inspections of the FMS in all (on-wing and spare) GE GEnx-1B and -2B engines at a sufficiently short interval that would permit multiple inspections and the detection of a crack before it could reach critical length and the FMS fractures.
Therefore, the National Transportation Safety Board makes the following recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration:
Issue an airworthiness directive to require, before further flight, the ultrasonic inspection of the fan midshaft in all General Electric GEnx-1B and -2B engines that have not yet undergone inspection. (A-12-52) Urgent
Require operators to accomplish repetitive inspectionsmidshaft (FMS) in all (on-wing and spare) General Electric GEnx-1B and -2B engines at a sufficiently short interval that would permit multiple inspections and the detection of a crack before it could reach critical length and the FMS fractures. (A-12-53) Urgent
Thursday, September 13, 2012
787 delivery estimates for this fall
DISCLAIMER: PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WITH A HEALTHY DOSE OF SKEPTICISM AS DELIVERY DATES DO CHANGE DUE TO AIRLINE/AIRCRAFT/BOEING CIRCUMSTANCES OVER TIME. THIS IS NOT A DEFINITIVE DELIVERY SCHEDULE.
Update, first flight of ZA238 was indeed yesterday.
That said, I just got information on potential Sept., Oct. and possibly Nov. deliveries. This list is incomplete and aircraft that are in final assembly or in change incorporation may be added.
September
9/18 - United Airlines - ZA288 (LN 53, N20904)
9/20 - ANA - ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A)
9/20 - Qatar Airways - ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB)
9/23 - JAL - ZA178 (LN 27, JA824J)
9/25 - ANA - ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A)
9/26 - Ethiopian - ZA263 (LN 71, ET-AOR)
Air India (I put this in separate category because of the uncertainty of deliveries to this airline)
9/12 - ZA233 (LN 29, VT-AND) already past and expected sometime next week
9/19 - ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI) indications are it will be TBD
9/28 - ZA238 (LN 54, VT-ANJ) indications expect that this will also be TBD, unconfirmed that it had its first flight on 9/4.
10/26 - ZA239 (LN 60, VT-ANK) this may slip to TBD
October
10/18 - Ethiopian - ZA264 (LN 75, ET-AOS)
10/18 - Qatar Airways - ZA463 (LN 64, A7-BCL)
10/18 - LAN - ZA537 (LN 74, CC-BBB)
10/24 - Hainan Airlines - ZA430 (LN 73, B-2728)
Oct./Nov.
All dates are TBD for the following:
China Southern - ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727)
ANA - ZA511 (LN 63, JA816A)
Ethiopian - ZA261 (LN 44, ET-AOP)
United Airlines - ZA290 (LN 77, N26906)
Qatar Airways - ZA460 (LN 57, A7-BCA)
LOT Polish Airlines - ZA270 (LN 61, SP-LRA)
Update, first flight of ZA238 was indeed yesterday.
That said, I just got information on potential Sept., Oct. and possibly Nov. deliveries. This list is incomplete and aircraft that are in final assembly or in change incorporation may be added.
September
9/18 - United Airlines - ZA288 (LN 53, N20904)
9/20 - ANA - ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A)
9/20 - Qatar Airways - ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB)
9/23 - JAL - ZA178 (LN 27, JA824J)
9/25 - ANA - ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A)
9/26 - Ethiopian - ZA263 (LN 71, ET-AOR)
Air India (I put this in separate category because of the uncertainty of deliveries to this airline)
9/12 - ZA233 (LN 29, VT-AND) already past and expected sometime next week
9/19 - ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI) indications are it will be TBD
9/28 - ZA238 (LN 54, VT-ANJ) indications expect that this will also be TBD, unconfirmed that it had its first flight on 9/4.
10/26 - ZA239 (LN 60, VT-ANK) this may slip to TBD
October
10/18 - Ethiopian - ZA264 (LN 75, ET-AOS)
10/18 - Qatar Airways - ZA463 (LN 64, A7-BCL)
10/18 - LAN - ZA537 (LN 74, CC-BBB)
10/24 - Hainan Airlines - ZA430 (LN 73, B-2728)
Oct./Nov.
All dates are TBD for the following:
China Southern - ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727)
ANA - ZA511 (LN 63, JA816A)
Ethiopian - ZA261 (LN 44, ET-AOP)
United Airlines - ZA290 (LN 77, N26906)
Qatar Airways - ZA460 (LN 57, A7-BCA)
LOT Polish Airlines - ZA270 (LN 61, SP-LRA)
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
787 flight test activity picks up speed
UPDATE: ZA263 (LN 71, ET-AOR) and ZA238 (LN 54, VT-ANJ) both made their first flights today (9/12/12)
During the past few day, flight test activity at Everett has picked up with 787s destined for ANA, JAL and United all taking to the air to continue Boeing/customer test flights. This is being done with eyeing deliveries of these airplanes later this month.
Additionally re-work activity looks to be increasing as two more 787s, one for Qatar and one for ANA have just moved into the paint hangar, signalling their readiness to start the pre-flight program. There are now 6 787s outside of the EMC hangar that are in various phases of re-work with another 5 aircraft inside the hangar. Among these 11 airplanes at the EMC include 4 airplanes for United Airlines. All assembled 787s are now out of the 40-24 surge line and are either parked outside or are at the EMC.
Speaking of production, interestingly the last two positions in 40-26 are unoccupied while there is only the one position in the 40-24 surge line occupied (position 1). The next 787 won't be loaded into position 1 in 40-26 until Sept. 17th...next Monday. I'm not sure of the reason but it might be due to a short break before Boeing starts production at the higher rate of 5/month during September. They also may want to ease the bottleneck on the flightline with many of the positions already full with 787s waiting to be delivered.
Lastly, the first 787 for Hainan Airlines finally broke cover and is now at the Everett fuel dock. No doubt it is waiting for a spot to open up which should happen in the next few days.
Looking at the 787 production and disposition chart, Boeing strategy is obvious. Get the late build 787s out the door and into customer hands while at the same time assembly and delivering post LN 65 airplanes thus increasing the delivery rate. As time goes on deliveries should hold steady as the increase in the production rate from 3.5 to 10 offsets the decrease in the number of 787 airframes that need change incorporation and pre LN 65 airplanes are delivered with increasing frequency in the next 12 to 18 months. There are about 18 787s that are still in storage around Everett but that is quite an improvement as many airplanes are going through change incorporation or are in various stages of pre-flight or Boeing/customer pre-delivery test flights.
However, the key to this strategy is clearing the bottleneck of airplanes that are complete and ready to be delivered both in Everett and at Charleston. So far two have been delivered this month but at least 5 more should be delivered this month possibly reaching as high as 8 more including 787s for Air India at Charleston. Another question mark is deliveries to Qatar Airways which seemed stalled. There has not been a test flight of any of the 2 787s for Qatar recently though a 3rd one is now in paint. There could be slippage of this into October.
During the past few day, flight test activity at Everett has picked up with 787s destined for ANA, JAL and United all taking to the air to continue Boeing/customer test flights. This is being done with eyeing deliveries of these airplanes later this month.
Additionally re-work activity looks to be increasing as two more 787s, one for Qatar and one for ANA have just moved into the paint hangar, signalling their readiness to start the pre-flight program. There are now 6 787s outside of the EMC hangar that are in various phases of re-work with another 5 aircraft inside the hangar. Among these 11 airplanes at the EMC include 4 airplanes for United Airlines. All assembled 787s are now out of the 40-24 surge line and are either parked outside or are at the EMC.
Speaking of production, interestingly the last two positions in 40-26 are unoccupied while there is only the one position in the 40-24 surge line occupied (position 1). The next 787 won't be loaded into position 1 in 40-26 until Sept. 17th...next Monday. I'm not sure of the reason but it might be due to a short break before Boeing starts production at the higher rate of 5/month during September. They also may want to ease the bottleneck on the flightline with many of the positions already full with 787s waiting to be delivered.
Lastly, the first 787 for Hainan Airlines finally broke cover and is now at the Everett fuel dock. No doubt it is waiting for a spot to open up which should happen in the next few days.
Looking at the 787 production and disposition chart, Boeing strategy is obvious. Get the late build 787s out the door and into customer hands while at the same time assembly and delivering post LN 65 airplanes thus increasing the delivery rate. As time goes on deliveries should hold steady as the increase in the production rate from 3.5 to 10 offsets the decrease in the number of 787 airframes that need change incorporation and pre LN 65 airplanes are delivered with increasing frequency in the next 12 to 18 months. There are about 18 787s that are still in storage around Everett but that is quite an improvement as many airplanes are going through change incorporation or are in various stages of pre-flight or Boeing/customer pre-delivery test flights.
However, the key to this strategy is clearing the bottleneck of airplanes that are complete and ready to be delivered both in Everett and at Charleston. So far two have been delivered this month but at least 5 more should be delivered this month possibly reaching as high as 8 more including 787s for Air India at Charleston. Another question mark is deliveries to Qatar Airways which seemed stalled. There has not been a test flight of any of the 2 787s for Qatar recently though a 3rd one is now in paint. There could be slippage of this into October.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Finally! Boeing delivers 1st 787 to Air India
After months of negotiating and waiting accompanied with a lot of hand wringing, Boeing has finally delivered the 1st 787 to Air India. The "ceremony" is decidedly low key compared to other 1st deliveries of the 787 to other customers and rightlfully so. Air India and the Indian Government has shown itself to be either utterly incompetent or very childish-like in its behavior towards Boeign in this matter. It started in May when Boeing was prepared to make delivery of the aircraft to Air India after having agreed to compensation for the delays incured during development and production of the 787. With days to go before delivery, Air India (probably urged on by the Indian Government) demanded more compensation than originally agreed upon. This led to protracted negotiations after which there was a protracted approval process by the GoI. The situation wasn't helped much with the contained failure on a GEnx-1B engine on a 787 destined for Air India in late July. While the root cause is still under investigation the failure was in a fan blade shaft that ruptured. There have been no other instances of this failure occuring indicating that it may be a one off event but Air India mainteneance wanted to hold up deliveries because of it. In the meantime 787s (and 747s) with the GEnx engine continued to fly and Ethiopian was the third airline to fly the Dreamliner and the 2nd one with the GEnx engines. Delivery of ZA236 (LN 35, VT-ANH) was made on the morning of Sept. 6th in avery low key ceremony with out any great fanfare, perhaps reflecting the tortured path inflicted by Air India on Boeing had to take to get to this moment. This was in total contrast to the delivery of LAN's first 787 last week which was a 2 day party.
It seemed that all was ready for delivery and Boeing had pulled the first 787 to the delviery center at Charleston when word came that there were yet more approvals needed from the GoI on the compensation agreement even after the Indian Cabinet had given its approval. It does seem that all the hurdles are cleared but one would still have to be cautious as this is the Indian Government that is entirely unpredictable. The aircraft is to flyaway on September 7th and land in India on the morning of September 8th. The plan is for Air India to take delivery of the next two service ready 787s at Charleston over the next 2 weeks. There are other 787s that have yet to be flight tested but those flights should come soon. Hopefully there won't be other roadblocks put up by Air India that would prolong these deliveries. He's the text of Boeig's announcement of the 787 delivery to Air India this morning:
It seemed that all was ready for delivery and Boeing had pulled the first 787 to the delviery center at Charleston when word came that there were yet more approvals needed from the GoI on the compensation agreement even after the Indian Cabinet had given its approval. It does seem that all the hurdles are cleared but one would still have to be cautious as this is the Indian Government that is entirely unpredictable. The aircraft is to flyaway on September 7th and land in India on the morning of September 8th. The plan is for Air India to take delivery of the next two service ready 787s at Charleston over the next 2 weeks. There are other 787s that have yet to be flight tested but those flights should come soon. Hopefully there won't be other roadblocks put up by Air India that would prolong these deliveries. He's the text of Boeig's announcement of the 787 delivery to Air India this morning:
Boeing celebrates delivery of Air India's first 787 Dreamliner
- First Indian airline to fly the 787
- The Dreamliner's range, capability allows for routes to Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Australia
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C., Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Air India today celebrated the delivery of the airline's first 787 Dreamliner.
"Today is a great day for Air India as the most technologically advanced and fuel efficient airplane in the world joins our fleet," said Rohit Nandan, Air India Chairman & Managing Director. "The 787 will allow Air India to open new routes in a dynamic marketplace and provide the best in-flight experience for our passengers."
Air India is only the fifth airline in the world to take delivery of a 787 Dreamliner.
This delivery is the first of 27 Dreamliners for Air India. The airplane is equipped with 18 business class seats and 238 economy class seats.
The 787 has the range and capability to allow Air India to deploy the Dreamliner on many routes including the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Australia.
"We are pleased to celebrate another historic moment in our nearly seven-decade long relationship," said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India Sales for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "I am sure Air India and their customers will be thrilled to experience the revolutionary features on the 787, an airplane that will be the key focus of the airline's turnaround plan."
Air India's first 787 Dreamliner was assembled in Everett, Wash. and delivered today from Boeing's South Carolina delivery center. The airplane is scheduled to fly to Delhi on Friday.
The 787 Dreamliner is an all-new airplane featuring a host of technologies that provide exceptional value to airlines and unparalleled levels of comfort to passengers. It is the first mid-size airplane capable of flying long-range routes, enabling airlines to open new, non-stop routes preferred by the traveling public.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Some slippage seen in September 787 deliveries
Sources are indicating some slips in 787 deliveries for September but so far it doesn't seem that any of the slips are into October....yet. The first for Qatar Airways, ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) and ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A) bot hare now tentatively scheduled to deliver around September 20th. Additionally Boeing is working some unknown issues with ZA182 (LN 70, JA828J) and delivery may take place around September 5th but may be even later.
The information thus far hasn't indicated any slide of September deliveries into October just as yet but one has to wonder what are the issues that are causing the delivery slide.
Still no word on the deliveries to Air India though there is a rumor that contractual delivery was made on ZA233 (LN 29, VT-AND) and ZA236 (LN 35, VT-ANH) on Aug. 31st. This is yet unconfirmed and we may not know until Boeing releases its monthly orders and deliveries report for August within the next 10 days. The airplanes are being held in Charleston over some unspecified engine issue is resolved. I don't know if it has anything to do with the GEnx engine failure from July or not. I'll keep an eye on it.
The information thus far hasn't indicated any slide of September deliveries into October just as yet but one has to wonder what are the issues that are causing the delivery slide.
Still no word on the deliveries to Air India though there is a rumor that contractual delivery was made on ZA233 (LN 29, VT-AND) and ZA236 (LN 35, VT-ANH) on Aug. 31st. This is yet unconfirmed and we may not know until Boeing releases its monthly orders and deliveries report for August within the next 10 days. The airplanes are being held in Charleston over some unspecified engine issue is resolved. I don't know if it has anything to do with the GEnx engine failure from July or not. I'll keep an eye on it.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Boeing delivers 4 787s in August
Boeing delivered a total of 4 787s during the month of August. This is the first time that deliveries exceeded 3 in any one month and the first time when deliveries outpaced the production output which is very important in reducing the 787 inventory backlog that is parked around Paine Field.
Earlier this month Boeing delivered the first 787 to Ethiopian as well as the first 787 to enter final assembly in 2009 (ZA100, LN 7, JA803A). During this past week Boeing delivered aircraft to LAN as the fourth operator of the aircraft as well as to ANA. Both aircraft delivered this week did not require change incorporation.
Looking forward we can look forward to deliveries in September to United, Qatar, China Southern as well as to current operators ANA, JAL, Ethopian and possibly LAN. Air India is TBD due to the different ministries that have to sign off on the compensation deal despite the AI staff that is in Charleston ready to complete delivery and fly the airplane to India. ZA236 (LN 35, VT-ANH) is still sitting at the Charleston Delivery Center waiting to be flown. Boeing was expecting to make delivery this week but it turns out some obscure Indian Government bureaucrat may be holding up the delivery. This is, unfortunately, the reality of doing business with the Indian Government and Air India. Something that many in the aerospace industry will be taking a note of when doing business with them.
Earlier this month Boeing delivered the first 787 to Ethiopian as well as the first 787 to enter final assembly in 2009 (ZA100, LN 7, JA803A). During this past week Boeing delivered aircraft to LAN as the fourth operator of the aircraft as well as to ANA. Both aircraft delivered this week did not require change incorporation.
Looking forward we can look forward to deliveries in September to United, Qatar, China Southern as well as to current operators ANA, JAL, Ethopian and possibly LAN. Air India is TBD due to the different ministries that have to sign off on the compensation deal despite the AI staff that is in Charleston ready to complete delivery and fly the airplane to India. ZA236 (LN 35, VT-ANH) is still sitting at the Charleston Delivery Center waiting to be flown. Boeing was expecting to make delivery this week but it turns out some obscure Indian Government bureaucrat may be holding up the delivery. This is, unfortunately, the reality of doing business with the Indian Government and Air India. Something that many in the aerospace industry will be taking a note of when doing business with them.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Boeing planning to increase 787 production to 5/month in September
Boeing execs revealed to reporters that the company is planning to increase the production rate of the 787 from the current 3.5/month to the planned 5/month starting in September. Flightglobal reporter Ghim Lay Yeo promptly Tweeted the comments about the production rate increase. It is not known which plant would see the increase but given that Boeing has activated the surge line in Everett and that some suppliers are are already producing at the higher rate, it's not too much of a surprise that Boeing can increase the rate now that the production system has stabilized. It is not known how Boeing will split the 5/month production between the different facilities but I can see 1/month coming from the surge line, 3/month coming from the main final assembly line in 40-26 and finally a firm rate of 1/month coming from the Charleston assembly line. It is also not known when in September when the rate increase will take effect but I wouldn't be surprised of it happen in the middle to late September.
Boeing spokesperson Scott Lefeber gave this statement without confirming the rate increase:
Boeing spokesperson Scott Lefeber gave this statement without confirming the rate increase:
We plan to complete the next production system rate increase to 5 airplanes per month by the end of the year, tracking as expected to the planned 10 per month program production rate by late 2013.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Updated 787 delivery information - August 29, 2012
With just a few days left in the month there's looking to be more changes for 787 deliveries this month and next.
Again please take this information with a grain of salt (a big one) as circumstances always change which alter the delivery dates.
August deliveries.
Supposedly contractual deliveries were made on ZA236 (LN 35, VT-ANH) for Air India and ZA536 (LN 68, CC-BBA) for LAN both being done yesterday (August 28, 2012) BUT there is no confirmation of either of these deliveries actually having been executed. Indications are that ZA236 should fly away today for New Delhi but again this is unconfirmed. I would take the AI delivery with a healthy dose of skepticism though the LAN bird should certainly deliver on August 30th and leave on Aug. 31st.
Additional deliveries are being planned on August 30th for ZA118 (LN 67, JA813A) for ANA and ZA182 (LN 70, JA828J) for JAL. The later might be hard to make as it has only had two test flights and thus far nothing scheduled for today (August 29). A notable delay is to that of Qatar Airways' first 787 which is now scheduled for mid September. The reason is unknown for the delay. If the above holds true then Boeing wold have delivered 6 787s in August. We all have reason to be dubious of deliveries claims being made to Air India still it is entirely possible as Boeing has said that delivery is to be made this week.
September Deliveries.
This is where things get interesting. According to sources, there are now 11 787s that are potentially have the ability to be delivered next month. Here's the run down according to airline:
Air India
ZA233 (LN 29, VT-AND) - Sept. 4
ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI) - Sept. 17
ZA238 (LN 54, VT-ANJ) - Sept. 28 (B-1 tentatively scheduled for Sept. 1).
ANA
ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A) - Sept. 12
ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) - Sept. 25 - conducted B-1 on August 29
China Southern Airlines
ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727) - Sept. 27
Ethiopian
ZA263 (LN 71, ET-AOR) - Sept. 18
Japan Airlines
ZA178 (LN 27, JA824J) - Sept. 20
Qatar Airways
ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) - Sept. 14 (another source told me Sept. 10)
ZA463 (LN 64, A7-BCL) - Sept. 25
United Airlines
ZA288 (LN 53, N20904) - Sept. 18
Again please take this with a grain of salt, especially any deliveries that are to Air India given the unreliability of the airline and the GoI to follow through on their commitments. If the total number of deliveries, as outlined above, do occur then for the months of August and September Boeing would have delivered 17 Dreamliners, that's 29 for 2012 and 32 over all. There are additional 787s waiting in the wings including the 3rd 787 built at Boeing Charleston, as well as 787s for Hainan, LAN and Ethiopian that have just recently been pulled out of final assembly and are either finishing up assembly tasks or are being painted.
Again please take this information with a grain of salt (a big one) as circumstances always change which alter the delivery dates.
August deliveries.
Supposedly contractual deliveries were made on ZA236 (LN 35, VT-ANH) for Air India and ZA536 (LN 68, CC-BBA) for LAN both being done yesterday (August 28, 2012) BUT there is no confirmation of either of these deliveries actually having been executed. Indications are that ZA236 should fly away today for New Delhi but again this is unconfirmed. I would take the AI delivery with a healthy dose of skepticism though the LAN bird should certainly deliver on August 30th and leave on Aug. 31st.
Additional deliveries are being planned on August 30th for ZA118 (LN 67, JA813A) for ANA and ZA182 (LN 70, JA828J) for JAL. The later might be hard to make as it has only had two test flights and thus far nothing scheduled for today (August 29). A notable delay is to that of Qatar Airways' first 787 which is now scheduled for mid September. The reason is unknown for the delay. If the above holds true then Boeing wold have delivered 6 787s in August. We all have reason to be dubious of deliveries claims being made to Air India still it is entirely possible as Boeing has said that delivery is to be made this week.
September Deliveries.
This is where things get interesting. According to sources, there are now 11 787s that are potentially have the ability to be delivered next month. Here's the run down according to airline:
Air India
ZA233 (LN 29, VT-AND) - Sept. 4
ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI) - Sept. 17
ZA238 (LN 54, VT-ANJ) - Sept. 28 (B-1 tentatively scheduled for Sept. 1).
ANA
ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A) - Sept. 12
ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) - Sept. 25 - conducted B-1 on August 29
China Southern Airlines
ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727) - Sept. 27
Ethiopian
ZA263 (LN 71, ET-AOR) - Sept. 18
Japan Airlines
ZA178 (LN 27, JA824J) - Sept. 20
Qatar Airways
ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) - Sept. 14 (another source told me Sept. 10)
ZA463 (LN 64, A7-BCL) - Sept. 25
United Airlines
ZA288 (LN 53, N20904) - Sept. 18
Again please take this with a grain of salt, especially any deliveries that are to Air India given the unreliability of the airline and the GoI to follow through on their commitments. If the total number of deliveries, as outlined above, do occur then for the months of August and September Boeing would have delivered 17 Dreamliners, that's 29 for 2012 and 32 over all. There are additional 787s waiting in the wings including the 3rd 787 built at Boeing Charleston, as well as 787s for Hainan, LAN and Ethiopian that have just recently been pulled out of final assembly and are either finishing up assembly tasks or are being painted.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Sigh, another Air India 787 delivery delay...again
Getting word that there is another delay in delivering the first 787 to Air India, yet again. This time the issue is being held up by an unspecified "paperwork" issue...perhaps someone forgot to bring their corporate credit card to pay for the airplane.
Sources are saying that delivery could occur around lunchtime tomorrow but we'll see. In the meantime I'm revering the delivery entry on my spreadsheet as I'm not sure if contractual delivery actually took place or not in the light of this information and the uncertainty it causes.
I'll update this post with more information, if and when it becomes available.
UPDATE (2:35PM): Susanna Ray of Bloomberg has an article out saying that the delivery will take place no earlier than tomorrow as there is a bank holiday today (Monday) in the UK and the financing bank, Standard Chartered is a London based bank which is doing the financing of the first 2 airplanes being delivered to Air India.
Here's Susanna Ray's article in Bloomberg:
Sources are saying that delivery could occur around lunchtime tomorrow but we'll see. In the meantime I'm revering the delivery entry on my spreadsheet as I'm not sure if contractual delivery actually took place or not in the light of this information and the uncertainty it causes.
I'll update this post with more information, if and when it becomes available.
UPDATE (2:35PM): Susanna Ray of Bloomberg has an article out saying that the delivery will take place no earlier than tomorrow as there is a bank holiday today (Monday) in the UK and the financing bank, Standard Chartered is a London based bank which is doing the financing of the first 2 airplanes being delivered to Air India.
Here's Susanna Ray's article in Bloomberg:
(BN) Boeing Sets Air India 787 Delivery as Wait Ends After Talks
(1)
------------------------------------------------------------
Susanna Ray | U.S. aerospace reporter | Bloomberg News
O: +1-206-913-4541 | M: +1-312-607-0747 | E: sray7@bloomberg.net
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Boeing Sets Air India 787 Delivery as Wait Ends After Talks (1)
2012-08-24 19:08:01.69 GMT
(Adds background on compensation in sixth paragraph.)
By Karthikeyan Sundaram and Susanna Ray
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co. said it expects to hand
over its first 787 Dreamliner to Air India next week, ending
months of waiting while several of the jets sat ready during
talks over compensation for delivery delays.
A team of about 20 Air India pilots, flight attendants,
engineers and operations personnel arrived yesterday in
Charleston, South Carolina, to prepare to receive the plane,
Boeing India President Dinesh Keskar said in an interview.
Air India may take delivery as early as Aug. 28, according
to an official with the state-owned carrier who asked not to be
identified because the plan hasn’t been announced. The airline,
which has 27 Dreamliners on order, received government
permission Aug. 3 to pay for its initial 787 after Chicago-based
Boeing agreed to compensation.
“Friday is already over in India, Monday is a bank holiday
in London, and that’s where the money comes from, so Tuesday
would be the earliest,” Keskar said of the first delivery.
Air India’s first two Dreamliners are being funded by a
$195 million loan from Standard Chartered Plc. Three of the jets
are ready and parked at Boeing’s South Carolina factory, and a
fourth was preparing for its maiden flight when its General
Electric Co. engine blew out during a July 28 taxi test.
Compensation Plan
The 787 was more than three years behind schedule when it
entered service in late 2011. While Air India had asked for $840
million in compensation for delays to its order, India’s
government didn’t give a figure this month when it approved an
agreement between Boeing and the airline. Boeing has declined to
give any financial specifics.
Last month’s engine failure remains under investigation by
the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, and Boeing and
Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE have said the defect was limited
to the power plant on that jet. Keskar declined to discuss the
engine incident.
Air India ordered the 787 in 2005 and was initially due to
start receiving the planes in 2008. Boeing struggled with new
materials and manufacturing processes for the world’s first
jetliner made from composite materials, delaying the first Air
India jet until this year.
The delivery was further hampered by compensation talks,
the government approval process and a two-month strike by pilots
over the right to fly the new plane.
All Nippon Airways Co., Japan Airlines Co. and Ethiopian
Airlines are the only carriers to fly the 787 so far. Qantas
Airways Ltd. canceled an order for 35 of the jets this week,
still leaving Boeing with a backlog for more than 800
Dreamliners.
For Related News and Information:
Top Stories:TOPkmeenakshisu@bloomberg.net;
Industry dashboard: BI AIRM
Top transportation stories: TRNT
Boeing financials: {BA USFA IS ]
--Editors: Ed Dufner, Cecile Daurat
To contact the reporters on this story:
Karthikeyan Sundaram in New Delhi at +91-11-4179-2009 or
Susanna Ray in Seattle at +1-206-913-4541 orsray7@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Ed Dufner at +1-214-954-9453 oredufner@bloomberg.net
787 Everett surge line activated
UPDATE: I just got this from Scott Lefeber at Boeing:
Boeing has finally activated the 787 surge line for the final assembly of the 787. The surge line allows Boeing to increase production of the 787 sooner while Boeing Charleston ramps up over the next 16 months to 3 airplanes per month. Thus far, Boeing plans to deactivate the surge line after Charleston reaches the 3/month output but there are rumblings that the surge line may remain to further push the total 787 output to beyond 10/month. The surge line was ready early this summer but Boeing opted to use the three position line to conduct change incorporation on the existing assembled 787 inventory. This allowed Boeing to get more 787s prepared for delivery during this past summer.
The surge line will have three positions each will mirror its counterpart in the existing final assembly line in 40-26 in terms of funcions though it's not exact mirror in terms of the layout, so the work that is done on the airframe in position 1 in 40-26 will be the same that is done in position 1 in 40-24, etc. The main exception that both lines will share the use of position 4 in 40-26 and position 3 in 40-24 is slanted while the other two positions are in line.
On Friday, ZA538 (LN 80) was loaded into the position 1 in the 40-24 building after ZA500 (LN 11) was cleared from that position and taken to the 40-51 ramp. There are two other positions in the line for production but currently those spots are being occupied by two other 787s that are undergoing change incorporation. It is thought that when ZA538 is done with position 1 then ZA505 (LN18) which is currently in position 2 will be moved out to allow final assembly to continue. The same will be true for position 3 which is currently occupied by ZA285 (LN 45). After this last plane is cleared from 40-24 the surge line will be a dedicated final assembly line with no change incorporation activities planned to be done on it. All those activities will continue at the Everett Modification Center.
Boeing activated the temporary surge line on Aug. 24 by loading the first airplane into final body join. The 787 program is making steady progress toward increasing the production rate from the current 3.5 airplanes per month to 10 per month by the end of 2013.
Boeing has finally activated the 787 surge line for the final assembly of the 787. The surge line allows Boeing to increase production of the 787 sooner while Boeing Charleston ramps up over the next 16 months to 3 airplanes per month. Thus far, Boeing plans to deactivate the surge line after Charleston reaches the 3/month output but there are rumblings that the surge line may remain to further push the total 787 output to beyond 10/month. The surge line was ready early this summer but Boeing opted to use the three position line to conduct change incorporation on the existing assembled 787 inventory. This allowed Boeing to get more 787s prepared for delivery during this past summer.
The surge line will have three positions each will mirror its counterpart in the existing final assembly line in 40-26 in terms of funcions though it's not exact mirror in terms of the layout, so the work that is done on the airframe in position 1 in 40-26 will be the same that is done in position 1 in 40-24, etc. The main exception that both lines will share the use of position 4 in 40-26 and position 3 in 40-24 is slanted while the other two positions are in line.
On Friday, ZA538 (LN 80) was loaded into the position 1 in the 40-24 building after ZA500 (LN 11) was cleared from that position and taken to the 40-51 ramp. There are two other positions in the line for production but currently those spots are being occupied by two other 787s that are undergoing change incorporation. It is thought that when ZA538 is done with position 1 then ZA505 (LN18) which is currently in position 2 will be moved out to allow final assembly to continue. The same will be true for position 3 which is currently occupied by ZA285 (LN 45). After this last plane is cleared from 40-24 the surge line will be a dedicated final assembly line with no change incorporation activities planned to be done on it. All those activities will continue at the Everett Modification Center.
Friday, August 24, 2012
787 deliveries on tap for the last week of August
Today, according to sources, Boeing may have made a contractual delivery of Air India's first 787. ZA236 (LN 35, VT-ANH) was seen at the Boeing Charleston Delivery Center today and a source did say that the aircraft may be delivering today (contractually). The contractual delivery date is the date that the paperwork is signed and the final delivery payment is made to Boeing by the customer. When asked if this was the case, Boeing spokesperson, Candy Eslinger, replied: "The Air India delivery team is in South Carolina for the delivery scheduled next week." This is confirmation that Boeing will be delivering at least one if not two 787s to Air India this month. I have heard that ZA236 would deliver on Aug. 27 (ceremonial delivery perhaps) and fly away that afternoon/evening for New Delhi. For now there isn't any confirmation about the contractual delivery being made though I suspect that this event may have taken place today (Aug. 24th). In addition to ZA236 being delivered this month, a source has told me that the following deliveries may take place during the next week. Please take this information with a grain of salt as we have seen that some may not materialize due to different circumstances.
ZA536 (LN 68, CC-BBA) to LAN on Aug. 27
ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) to Qatar Airways on Aug. 30
ZA118 (LN 67, JA813A) to ANA on Aug. 30
ZA182 (LN 70, JA828J) to Japan Airlines on Aug. 30 (this airplane has had only one test flight)
ZA233 (LN 29, VT-AND) to Air India on Aug. 31
Additionally ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI) is almost ready for delivery but doesn't have a delivery date as of yet. It appears that Air India is trying to pick up one delivery ready 787 each week so it could be that ZA237 could deliver in September. There are two other 787s for Air India both built at Charleston that have yet to take their B-1 flights so I anticipate that those deliveries may happen in late September but more likely in October.
There is also further information on September deliveries which, once again, should be taken with a grain of salt.
ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A) to ANA on Sept. 12
ZA263 (LN 71, ET-AOR) to Ethiopian on Sept. 18 (hasn't taken its B-1 yet)
ZA288 (LN 53, N20904) to United on Sept. 18
ZA178 (LN 27, JA824J) to Japan Airlines on Sept. 20 (hasn't taken its B-1 yet)
ZA463 (LN 64, A7-BCL) to Qatar Airways on Sept. 25 (hasn't taken its B-1 yet)
ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) to ANA on Sept. 25 (hasn't taken its B-1 yet)
ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727) to China Southern on Sept. 27 (hasn't taken its B-1 yet)
All told the total number of deliveries in August and September may total 16, IF this scheduled is kept.
ZA536 (LN 68, CC-BBA) to LAN on Aug. 27
ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) to Qatar Airways on Aug. 30
ZA118 (LN 67, JA813A) to ANA on Aug. 30
ZA182 (LN 70, JA828J) to Japan Airlines on Aug. 30 (this airplane has had only one test flight)
ZA233 (LN 29, VT-AND) to Air India on Aug. 31
Additionally ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI) is almost ready for delivery but doesn't have a delivery date as of yet. It appears that Air India is trying to pick up one delivery ready 787 each week so it could be that ZA237 could deliver in September. There are two other 787s for Air India both built at Charleston that have yet to take their B-1 flights so I anticipate that those deliveries may happen in late September but more likely in October.
There is also further information on September deliveries which, once again, should be taken with a grain of salt.
ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A) to ANA on Sept. 12
ZA263 (LN 71, ET-AOR) to Ethiopian on Sept. 18 (hasn't taken its B-1 yet)
ZA288 (LN 53, N20904) to United on Sept. 18
ZA178 (LN 27, JA824J) to Japan Airlines on Sept. 20 (hasn't taken its B-1 yet)
ZA463 (LN 64, A7-BCL) to Qatar Airways on Sept. 25 (hasn't taken its B-1 yet)
ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) to ANA on Sept. 25 (hasn't taken its B-1 yet)
ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727) to China Southern on Sept. 27 (hasn't taken its B-1 yet)
All told the total number of deliveries in August and September may total 16, IF this scheduled is kept.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Busy day for 787s at Everett
Boeing sent up 4 customer ready 787s for test flights including an aircraft for Air India that is currently at Boeing Charleston. The four airplanes that flew were:
ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI)
ZA118 (LN 67, JA813A) - making a C-1 flight
ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A) - making a B-1 flight
ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) - making a Boeing test flight and then later a C-1 flight
Given the ZA461 and ZA118 both have customer flights, both these airplanes are very, very close to being ready for delivery, perhaps being delivered this month. ZA119 for ANA made its first flight but had to return to Everett early due to an unspecified problem during the test flight. ZA237 did a flight that lasted a couple of hours but it is not known if it was customer flight or a Boeing flight. Air India's 787 though are ready for delivery but the airline isn't ready. Still now word on when the airline will take delivery but I don't think that anything should be read into this one test flight just yet. IF there are more test flights (customer flights) with the other 2 787s that are ready as well as B-1 flights of the other two Charleston built Dreamliners then that may be an indication of something happening.
Finally the first production Dreamliner to enter assembly is finally being flown to Japan tonight. ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) was temporarily grounded by an unknown maintenance issue. The issue has been resolved and this aircraft which needed the most work is finally being sent home. ANA accepted delivery on August 20th.
ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI)
ZA118 (LN 67, JA813A) - making a C-1 flight
ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A) - making a B-1 flight
ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) - making a Boeing test flight and then later a C-1 flight
Given the ZA461 and ZA118 both have customer flights, both these airplanes are very, very close to being ready for delivery, perhaps being delivered this month. ZA119 for ANA made its first flight but had to return to Everett early due to an unspecified problem during the test flight. ZA237 did a flight that lasted a couple of hours but it is not known if it was customer flight or a Boeing flight. Air India's 787 though are ready for delivery but the airline isn't ready. Still now word on when the airline will take delivery but I don't think that anything should be read into this one test flight just yet. IF there are more test flights (customer flights) with the other 2 787s that are ready as well as B-1 flights of the other two Charleston built Dreamliners then that may be an indication of something happening.
Finally the first production Dreamliner to enter assembly is finally being flown to Japan tonight. ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) was temporarily grounded by an unknown maintenance issue. The issue has been resolved and this aircraft which needed the most work is finally being sent home. ANA accepted delivery on August 20th.
Qatar's first 787 may be delivered on Aug. 25th
I've gotten info that Qatar's first 787 MAY be delivered on August 25, this Saturday. The aircraft continues to fly test flight with a temporary US registration though I don't know why. I am trying to confirm.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Qatar Airways not taking delivery of 787 on Aug. 22, LAN appears to be next delivery.
Saj Ahmad of Strategic Aero Research told me that Qatar Airways will not be taking delivery of their first 787 today. This news coupled with LAN's announcement that they will accept their first 787 on Aug. 30/31 and that they will be the fourth worldwide operator of the Dreamliner indicates that 1) Qatar Airways won't take delivery until around September (though that could always change) and 2) given that the other 787s that are in test flight will not be ready for delivery within the next one week. Boeing may end up with only four aircraft delivered this month.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
August 787 deliveries appears to be slipping
Looks like Boeing won't be delivering as many 787s as we all thought in August as sources tell me that there looks to be slips in some deliveries from August to September. I'm not sure about any knock on effect, if any, would be to downstream deliveries. Earlier I reported that Boeing could deliver as many as 7 Dreamliners this month. One has already been delivered and it does appear that there could be as many as two this coming week, one to ANA and one to Qatar. There has been some slowdown in 787 flight test activity and not as many B-1 flights as I thought would have taken place by now in order to make 7 deliveries by the end of August. At this point I'm not sure which 787 deliveries are being pushed to September and as always delivery information should always be taken with a grain of salt due to nature of the 787 program and customer preferences.
As far as Air India and the 787, everyones' favorite topic, I've been hearing new estimates for first delivery ranging from this week to sometime in mid to late September. This is one that I've stopped believing in any estimates not that the people who gave the information are wrong but that Air India is so disorganized and mismanaged that it's not possible to figure when they'll take actual delivery. This airline has the ability to come to the table and at the very last minute pulled the rug out at the delivery ceremony and refuse to take delivery and make the final payment. One thing is for sure...Boeing is ready to turn the aircraft over to the airline, three of them with a fourth waiting in the proverbial wings. So what is the problem? Though no one has spoken publicly about it in definitive terms, the fact that Air India is actively (read: desperately) trying to arrange financing to pay for the deliveries. The Ministry of Finance has put the hold on the deliveries though they haven't made publicly why they put the hold on after the Indian Cabinet itself had approved for the deliveries to take place in accordance with the compensation agreement hammered out between the airline and Boeing. Air India financial health is in a very precarious situation that banks aren't exactly lining up to extend any financing even if the 787s were used as collateral. The management of Air India and the GoI has taken pains to being down this airline and to frag its once stellar reputation through the mud. The drama continues.
As far as Air India and the 787, everyones' favorite topic, I've been hearing new estimates for first delivery ranging from this week to sometime in mid to late September. This is one that I've stopped believing in any estimates not that the people who gave the information are wrong but that Air India is so disorganized and mismanaged that it's not possible to figure when they'll take actual delivery. This airline has the ability to come to the table and at the very last minute pulled the rug out at the delivery ceremony and refuse to take delivery and make the final payment. One thing is for sure...Boeing is ready to turn the aircraft over to the airline, three of them with a fourth waiting in the proverbial wings. So what is the problem? Though no one has spoken publicly about it in definitive terms, the fact that Air India is actively (read: desperately) trying to arrange financing to pay for the deliveries. The Ministry of Finance has put the hold on the deliveries though they haven't made publicly why they put the hold on after the Indian Cabinet itself had approved for the deliveries to take place in accordance with the compensation agreement hammered out between the airline and Boeing. Air India financial health is in a very precarious situation that banks aren't exactly lining up to extend any financing even if the 787s were used as collateral. The management of Air India and the GoI has taken pains to being down this airline and to frag its once stellar reputation through the mud. The drama continues.
Friday, August 17, 2012
No 787 delivery to Air India today
Sources have confirmed to me that Boeing did not deliver a 787 to Air India today and further revealed that the company was not expecting to make a delivery from the Boeing Charleston facility today. There is still no confirmed date as to when Air India will allow a delivery to take place. Boeing is ready to deliver the three 787s parked at Charleston and is awaiting word from Air India. It was close, it seems, as of last Wednesday when ZA236 took a test flight but then rumors started to come out that the Indian Ministry of Finance as not signed off on the transfer of the final payment to Boeing. Again this further erodes any confidence that these airplanes will be delivered anytime soon. This entire episode is further proof of the incompetence and mismanagement at Air India and the Government of India itself.
In the meantime there are 4 787s (3 with Air India livery) that are parked at Charleston. The fourth aircraft is widely believed to be ZA238 which experienced the engine issue last month and now has a replacement engine. I anticipate that this airplane can make its first flight in about two weeks.
Lastly there was a line move in Everett and ZA537 (LN 74, CC-BBB) for LAN has been pushed out onto the 40-51 ramp to finish off minor assembly tasks before being sent over to the paint hangar. I anticipate that this airplane can deliver sometime in early to mid October since Boeing has a very full ramp of 787s that they need to deliver ahead of this particular aircraft.
Meanwhile ANA will be gearing up to take ownership of its 12th 787 as ZA100 conducts it customer test flights.
In the meantime there are 4 787s (3 with Air India livery) that are parked at Charleston. The fourth aircraft is widely believed to be ZA238 which experienced the engine issue last month and now has a replacement engine. I anticipate that this airplane can make its first flight in about two weeks.
Lastly there was a line move in Everett and ZA537 (LN 74, CC-BBB) for LAN has been pushed out onto the 40-51 ramp to finish off minor assembly tasks before being sent over to the paint hangar. I anticipate that this airplane can deliver sometime in early to mid October since Boeing has a very full ramp of 787s that they need to deliver ahead of this particular aircraft.
Meanwhile ANA will be gearing up to take ownership of its 12th 787 as ZA100 conducts it customer test flights.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
787 delivery to Air India may be off....again
In the never ending drama between Air India, the Indian Government and Boeing over the 787 the first delivery scheduled for tomorrow may be off....again. This time the issue may reside with the GoI's Ministry of Finance who, reportedly, hasn't signed off on the delivery payment that needs to be made by the GoI to Boeing for the delivery. Why they're objecting is not known since the Council of Ministers and the GoI CCEA both approved the compensation deal between Boeing and Air India. Yesterday ZA236 (LN 35, VT-ANH) conducted a customer test flight so that is good news. Stay tuned for news on this on going saga.
In related news, the flightline in Charleston now is back to 787s on the flightline. The airplane that was just moved outside is ZA238 (LN 54, VT-ANJ) which suffered the engine failure in July. Brendan Kearney a reporter for the Charleston newspaper Post and Courier sent a Tweet with a picture of the 4 787s on the flightline and has told me that the aircraft that was just moved outside is indeed ZA238.
In related news, the flightline in Charleston now is back to 787s on the flightline. The airplane that was just moved outside is ZA238 (LN 54, VT-ANJ) which suffered the engine failure in July. Brendan Kearney a reporter for the Charleston newspaper Post and Courier sent a Tweet with a picture of the 4 787s on the flightline and has told me that the aircraft that was just moved outside is indeed ZA238.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Boeing delivers 787 to Ethiopian, Air India may be next
Photo by MoonM
Boeing now has delivered a 787 to its third customer, Ethiopian Airlines. ZA262 (LN 49, ET-AOQ) was officially handed over to the airline yesterday and flew away to Washington Dulles International Airport early this morning. This is good news for Boeing as it not only frees up another spot on the flightline but should kick off a large number of deliveries over the next couple of months. It is rumored that Air India is to take the next 787, ZA 236 (LN 35, VT-ANH) on Friday and flyaway on Saturday to New Delhi. Air India is expected to take the three service ready 787s over a two week period starting on Aug. 17. What should follow is a gaggle of deliveries to Qatar Airways, LAN as well as to current operators ANA and JA during the month of August.
Since yesterday more airplanes have actually shown up on the flightline at Everett including China Southern's first 787, ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727) and another for JAL, ZA178 (LN 27, JA824J) both of which are at the fuel dock. The flightline is getting ever more crowded with completed 787s that are ready for pre-flight or are currently in pre-delivery test flights. Boeing continues to work down the accumulated 787 inventory with a couple more 787s entering change incorporation including those for Qatar and ANA.
I do anticipate that by the end of September, Boeing would have delivered a total of 27 - 30 787s since deliveries began almost a year ago. This will include anywhere from 8 to 10 in August and about 7 more in September. This includes deliveries to Air India.
September should see deliveries to Qatar, Air India, ANA, JAL, United and China Southern. The 787 Production and Disposition Table has been updated as of August 15, 2012.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Updated 787 delivery information
Activity around Everett has increased in recent days as far as the 787 is concerned. ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) continues pre-delivery test flight, ZA262 (LN 49, ET-AOQ) performed a customer test flight and ZA118 (LN 67, JA813A) conducted its B-1 flight). Even though August is almost one half over a posting on airliners.net says that there will be 7 Dreamliner deliveries made this month not including deliveries to Air India. The delivery train starts this Monday (August 14th) with first delivery to Ethiopian of ZA262. Less than a week later ZA100 will deliver to ANA on the 20th.Qatar Airways is scheduled to be the 4th carrier to take the 787 (ZA461) around August 22nd followed by LAN (ZA536) on August 27th. ANA takes one on August 28th (ZA119). Both JAL (ZA182) and ANA (ZA118) take one each on August 30th. Again this schedule is subject to change and many of these deliveries can move to a later date. If this schedule holds then it would be the most 787s delivered by Boeing in one month and will add 3 new airlines flying the 787.
It is possible that Air India could be added this month but they are having a very hard time arranging financing to pay for the jets that are ready for delivery and is reflective of their financial distress. It is unknown if Boeing will penalize them for not taking delivery in a timely manner but Air India has been aware that these airplanes are ready for delivery but chose not to pursue financing until after they got approval to take delivery from the GoI. This reinforces the view of many that this is a very poorly managed airline. The Air India -787 saga continues, unfortunately.
September is also promising to be just as good as August was in terms of '87 deliveries with United and China Southern both taking their first airplanes. All September deliveries are tentatively scheduled for the second half of September and kcks off with Ethiopian taking delivery of ZA264 (LN 71, ET-AOR) on Sept. 18th as well as United (ZA288, LN 53, N20904) also signing for its first 787 on the same day. Two days later Japan Airlines will take its 6th 787 which is an early build Dreamliner, ZA178 (LN 27, JA824J). ANA takes a 787 which is the first 787 to be rolled out without needing to go to the EMC. ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) should deliver around September 25th. Qatar Airways will take its second 787, ZA463 (LN 64, A7-BCD) on September 27 but also delivering on that date will be the first '87 for China Southern. This airplane is ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727).
All together this is 13 787s that is scheduled to be delivered over the next 6 weeks and will take Boeing to 25 787 delivered in 2012 not including tentative deliveries to Air India if and when that happens. By the end of September, if all goes according that what I laid out in this post, then there will be 7 customers flying the 787 by the end of the third quarter possibly 8 with Air India.
It is possible that Air India could be added this month but they are having a very hard time arranging financing to pay for the jets that are ready for delivery and is reflective of their financial distress. It is unknown if Boeing will penalize them for not taking delivery in a timely manner but Air India has been aware that these airplanes are ready for delivery but chose not to pursue financing until after they got approval to take delivery from the GoI. This reinforces the view of many that this is a very poorly managed airline. The Air India -787 saga continues, unfortunately.
September is also promising to be just as good as August was in terms of '87 deliveries with United and China Southern both taking their first airplanes. All September deliveries are tentatively scheduled for the second half of September and kcks off with Ethiopian taking delivery of ZA264 (LN 71, ET-AOR) on Sept. 18th as well as United (ZA288, LN 53, N20904) also signing for its first 787 on the same day. Two days later Japan Airlines will take its 6th 787 which is an early build Dreamliner, ZA178 (LN 27, JA824J). ANA takes a 787 which is the first 787 to be rolled out without needing to go to the EMC. ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) should deliver around September 25th. Qatar Airways will take its second 787, ZA463 (LN 64, A7-BCD) on September 27 but also delivering on that date will be the first '87 for China Southern. This airplane is ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727).
All together this is 13 787s that is scheduled to be delivered over the next 6 weeks and will take Boeing to 25 787 delivered in 2012 not including tentative deliveries to Air India if and when that happens. By the end of September, if all goes according that what I laid out in this post, then there will be 7 customers flying the 787 by the end of the third quarter possibly 8 with Air India.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
NTSB narrows down GEnx-1B engine issue to fan mid shaft fracture on Air India 787
In a press release issued today, the NTSB said that a fan mid shaft had fractured at the forward end of the shaft. The NTSB is still trying to understand the root cause of the fracture which led to parts being ejected from the rear of the engine. The cause can be either a manufacturing flaw in this particular engine or (and highly unlikely) a design flaw.
Currently there are about 80 GEnx engines that are in service on both the 747-8 and the 787. Boeing is going to deliver another GEnx powered 787 to Ethiopian Airlines on Monday and thus far there is no indication that those plans have been or are going to change. This is the first time that there has been a failure of significance on the GEnx engine and given the operating (albeit short) history of the engine, there is no reason to believe that there is a safety risk of using the engine in commercial use at this point. I believe Boeing will continue deliveries of the GEnx powered 787 going forward with deliveries this month to Qatar Airways, Ethiopian and Air India. Here is the test of the NTSB press release:
NTSB provides factual update on Boeing 787 engine failure in South Carolina
August 8, 2012
WASHINGTON - The National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation of the July 28, 2012 contained engine failure that occurred on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner during a pre-delivery taxi test in Charleston, South Carolina. A contained engine failure is a specific engine design feature in which components might separate inside the engine but either remain within the engine's cases or exit the engine through the tail pipe. This design feature generally does not pose immediate safety risks.
Last week, the NTSB sent an investigator to the scene to gather information on the incident and subsequently launched a full investigation into the cause of the failure, led by NTSB Investigator-in-Charge, Mr. David Helson.
On August 1, 2012, a team of experts from the NTSB, FAA, Boeing and GE Aviation specializing in engine systems and metallurgy traveled to a GE facility in Cincinnati, OH to disassemble and examine the failed GEnx engine. GE is the manufacturer of the GEnx engine. The parties to the investigation have been extremely cooperative in assisting NTSB personnel in its review and assessment.
As a result of the investigative work to date, the NTSB has determined that a fan mid-shaft on the failed GEnx engine fractured at the forward end of the shaft, rear of the threads where the retaining nut is installed. The fan mid-shaft is undergoing several detailed examinations including dimensional and metallurgical inspections.
The GEnx engine is a newly designed aircraft engine. It is a "dual shaft" engine, meaning that one shaft connects the compressor spool at one end to the high pressure turbine spool at the other end. A longer "fan shaft" connects the fan and booster in the front of the engine to the low pressure turbine in the back.
The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, which is a combined unit on the 787 Dreamliner, was transported to the agency's Recorders Laboratory in Washington, DC for processing and readout. Both recordings captured the event and analysis is ongoing.
Moving forward, investigators will continue the detailed examination of the engine and metallurgical analysis of its components. The investigators have also begun reviewing the engine manufacturing and assembly records.
This investigation is ongoing. The information released today is factual in nature and does not include any analysis. Additional factual information may be released as it is developed.
On a semi-related matter, MAtt Cawby got a picture of ZA288 (LN 53, N20904) for United Airlines at Everett's compass rose. He says that first fligth of this airplane is imminent.
Currently there are about 80 GEnx engines that are in service on both the 747-8 and the 787. Boeing is going to deliver another GEnx powered 787 to Ethiopian Airlines on Monday and thus far there is no indication that those plans have been or are going to change. This is the first time that there has been a failure of significance on the GEnx engine and given the operating (albeit short) history of the engine, there is no reason to believe that there is a safety risk of using the engine in commercial use at this point. I believe Boeing will continue deliveries of the GEnx powered 787 going forward with deliveries this month to Qatar Airways, Ethiopian and Air India. Here is the test of the NTSB press release:
NTSB provides factual update on Boeing 787 engine failure in South Carolina
August 8, 2012
WASHINGTON - The National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation of the July 28, 2012 contained engine failure that occurred on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner during a pre-delivery taxi test in Charleston, South Carolina. A contained engine failure is a specific engine design feature in which components might separate inside the engine but either remain within the engine's cases or exit the engine through the tail pipe. This design feature generally does not pose immediate safety risks.
Last week, the NTSB sent an investigator to the scene to gather information on the incident and subsequently launched a full investigation into the cause of the failure, led by NTSB Investigator-in-Charge, Mr. David Helson.
On August 1, 2012, a team of experts from the NTSB, FAA, Boeing and GE Aviation specializing in engine systems and metallurgy traveled to a GE facility in Cincinnati, OH to disassemble and examine the failed GEnx engine. GE is the manufacturer of the GEnx engine. The parties to the investigation have been extremely cooperative in assisting NTSB personnel in its review and assessment.
As a result of the investigative work to date, the NTSB has determined that a fan mid-shaft on the failed GEnx engine fractured at the forward end of the shaft, rear of the threads where the retaining nut is installed. The fan mid-shaft is undergoing several detailed examinations including dimensional and metallurgical inspections.
The GEnx engine is a newly designed aircraft engine. It is a "dual shaft" engine, meaning that one shaft connects the compressor spool at one end to the high pressure turbine spool at the other end. A longer "fan shaft" connects the fan and booster in the front of the engine to the low pressure turbine in the back.
The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, which is a combined unit on the 787 Dreamliner, was transported to the agency's Recorders Laboratory in Washington, DC for processing and readout. Both recordings captured the event and analysis is ongoing.
Moving forward, investigators will continue the detailed examination of the engine and metallurgical analysis of its components. The investigators have also begun reviewing the engine manufacturing and assembly records.
This investigation is ongoing. The information released today is factual in nature and does not include any analysis. Additional factual information may be released as it is developed.
On a semi-related matter, MAtt Cawby got a picture of ZA288 (LN 53, N20904) for United Airlines at Everett's compass rose. He says that first fligth of this airplane is imminent.
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