Sunday, June 2, 2013

Boeing confirms start of 787-9 final assembly

787-9 in position 1 in 40-24.  Boeing Photo
 
 
Boeing confirmed today that they had started final assembly of the first 787-9 on May 30th as this blog revealed on May 14th.  Boeing also confirmed that the two other test frames will be assembled in the 40-24 building which is the Temporary Surge Line where ZB001 (LN 126, N789EX) is currently being built.  This airframe should make the move to position 2 around June 9th if the main assembly that is sequenced in position 1 as well as any tests are satisfactorily completed by then.
 
I still believe that this plane should roll out of final assembly around the 3rd to 4th week of July. It'll be great to see this aircraft next to the 787-8 to get a true appreciation of its size.

Below is Boeing's press release:

First Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Begins Final Assembly

Newest 787 complements, extends the super-efficient family


EVERETT, Wash., June 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has begun final assembly of the first 787-9 Dreamliner. The newest member of the 787 family began taking shape on schedule May 30 in Everett, Wash., when Boeing started joining large sections of the super-efficient jet.
"From the start, the entire 787-9 team has focused relentlessly on execution so that we fulfill the commitments to our customers," said Mark Jenks, vice president, 787 Airplane Development, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Integrating the 787-9 into our production system on time is another clear sign that we are well prepared and well positioned for the work ahead."
Boeing's global partners delivered the first 787-9 sections to final assembly on or ahead of schedule, and strong progress continues beyond, with major assembly under way on the other flight-test airplanes. "The dedication, quality and skill of our partners are helping drive our disciplined performance," said Jenks.
Boeing will build the first three 787-9s on its Temporary Surge Line in Everett to allow for smoother integration of the 787-9 into the production system while continuing to ramp up production across the 787 program.
The 787-9 will complement and extend the 787 family, offering airlines the ability to grow routes opened with the 787-8. With the fuselage stretched by 20 feet (6 meters), the 787-9 will carry 40 more passengers an additional 300 nautical miles (555 kilometers) while using 20 percent less fuel than similarly sized airplanes. The 787-9 leverages the visionary design of the 787-8, offering the features passengers prefer such as large, dimmable windows, large stow bins, modern LED lighting, higher humidity, a lower cabin altitude, cleaner air and a smoother ride.
The vertical stabilizer on this 787-9 reflects the new Boeing Commercial Airplanes livery, a refreshed look for the Boeing family of airplanes that started with the 747-8 and evolved with the 737 MAX. Many features of the livery on the original 787 are reflected in the new design. The prominent number designator on the tail helps distinguish various models within the same product family.
First flight of the 787-9 is scheduled for the second half of 2013, with first delivery to launch customer Air New Zealand set for early 2014. 20 customers around the world have ordered 355 787-9s, accounting for 40 percent of all 787 orders.
 







19 comments:

Unknown said...

When do you think ZB002 will enter final assembly?

When ZB001 is in Position 2 or Position 3, or later?

Unknown said...

LOT ZA273 (87) B-1 and JAL ZA185 (98) C-2 today.

Has airliners.net got a problem on the forums -- can't get any new messages???? Any ideas???

graeme77 said...

Only 3 B1 flights since 5/21/2013 - not exactly a hectic pace...

Rob said...

Graeme I count 7 B1 flights since 5/15, less than a month ago. They are producing at 7 a month. so they are on target with what they are producing and have 8 or 9 days of the month left to work on the inventory sitting around from the grounding etc.
No matter how many resources Boeing putsbehind getting planes flying and delivered you need to remember airlines have to set a schedule to take them also.

graeme77 said...

So far the backlog is being maintained. Boeing need to significantly reduce it, ultimately to zero. For this, around 7 B1's a month is just not going to do it. Even 10 a month will be very slow.

Uresh said...

It's still quite early in the month.

TurtleLuv said...

not really important but i think there are only 5 rework frames on runway 11-29 now. it looks like one of the ANA frames got pulled to the EMC.

line 20 sure has been in the EMC a long time, and still doesn't have engines.

i wish someone would post a full flight line shot. seems like forever since we've had one.

lastly, captcha is annoying as hell.

Turtle
747-8 Report

larmeyers said...

Thanks again, Uresh... This continues to be a terrific blog.

I believe this has been mentioned in the past, but for those watching Dreamliner activities on FlightAware, besides searching "B788" also search just "787".

This appears to be where ANA puts its domestic flights, I've seen 6 simultaneously. I also saw a China Southern domestic there today. At one point last night there were 24 in the air between these 2 and all revenue flights.

LM

petera380 said...

Anyone know the Boeing code for TUI Travel? B787-8??

Uresh said...

BRI or TTP

HK Expat said...

Uresh - have you heard anything about LN 127? Should be loaded by now i would have thought.
Cheers
A

Uresh said...

LN127 load is delayed due to some sort of construction work going on in 40-26. It should load around early this week.

graeme77 said...

Looks like ZA465 is going to Paris for the static display (Yahoo Finance, sorry don't have the link)

harty236 said...

ZA450 and 451 for British Airways are due to be delivered on the 26th and 27th of June.

At a guess they will be delivered to CWL for premium seat outfitting.

larmeyers said...

Uresh, dp you know why ZA004 (as BOE4) has been flying again? It's on it's way to Kona today. thanks

Uresh said...

Probably to test Trent 1000 improvements

Dave said...

Do we know which jal bird turned around and why today?

Phil said...

Don't know which aircraft, yet.

...problem with the anti-ice system emerged Tuesday in a flight to Singapore...

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-06-11/jal-787-jet-has-problems-not-related-to-batteries



Dave said...

Its ja824j