Boeing delivers 3 787s in March, three more on tap for April

Boeing was able to deliver three 787s to customers in March, 2 to Japan Airlines and 1 to ANA. It's looking like Boeing will be able to deliver 3 more in April. Again two to JAL and one more to ANA. In fact ZA105 (L/N 42, JA808A) is schedule to make its first flight today (April 1)...hopefully it's not an April Fool's joke by Boeing. Both ZA180 (L/N 37, JA826J) and ZA181 (L/N 38, JA827J) had their first engine runs though JAL's CEO was a little vague at the delivery ceremony for its first two 787s if the airline will take delivery in April. I still have no further information on their delivery timelines or for other 787s deliveries beyond ZA105.

Who's next?

So who else will be receiving 787s this year? Well in addition to ANA and JAL the known customers who have given updated delivery guidance will include:

Air India (May)
Qatar Airways (June just before Farnborough)
United (Fall, 2012)
LAN (Fall, 2012)
Polish LOT (Late 2012)

Other first deliveries may/should include Ethiopian and China Southern both airlines should receive them around late summer to fall though there hasn't bee any updated delivery guidance given by those two carriers. The first 787 for Hainan Airlines is supposed to start final assembly within the next couple of weeks though again there is no guidance on when this airplane will be delivered so it might be early next year as resources are used to get the earlier airplanes ready for delivery. Royal Air Maroc has two 787s out on the flightline though I am not sure when those are to be delivered and there has been no recent delivery guidance given by the airline. RAM was expected to take their first 787 in late 2011 but that is most assuredly pushed to late this year at the earliest if not sometime in early 2013.

Production

On the production line airplanes 58, 59, 61 and 62 are in positions 4 though 1 respectively in building 40-26. Airplane 60 will be built on the North Charleston line though I don't have a final assembly start date yet. This is an airplane for Qatar Airways. Boeing is closing on the start of assembly for airplane 66 which will be the first airplane that will go straight from the assembly line to flight testing and will have no need for change incorporation or any other work. This airplane is destined for ANA when it is complete. I can see this airplane being delivered around June of this year.

Boeing has delivered 5 787s so far this year and are expecting to deliver anwhere from 30 to 37 more 787s this year. That means they need to deliver more than 3 airplanes perr month for teh rest of this year if they are to attain that goal. If they deliver only 3 787s in April then they would have to deliver almost 4 airplanes a month for the remainder of the year to attain their goal.