787 Dreamliner further delayed: Wall Steet Journal

The Wall Street Journal reports

Boeing Co. may further delay first deliveries of its flagship 787 Dreamliner by at least six months to account for the recent strike by union machinists and other snags.

According to people familiar with the situation, Boeing officials are expected to announce later this month that first deliveries of the fuel-efficient jet might not occur until summer 2010, more than two years after the jet was originally scheduled to enter service. Boeing's most recent schedule called for initial deliveries in the third quarter of 2009.

In recent days, these people said, Boeing has been meeting with suppliers and partners on the jet program to get its arms around a number of challenges that have sprung up in part because of the volume of work that Boeing had outsourced

Problems with the high-profile jetliner project have become a growing embarrassment for Boeing, which had prided itself on delivering its jets on time. Another delay would mark the fourth time that Boeing would have to tell the customers holding orders for almost 900 of the planes that it will be late.

On Bangalore Aviation, I have reported stories of the strikes at Boeing, and the delays it have caused.

A Boeing spokesman declined comment saying

the company is "currently reviewing the schedule" and would have an announcement at a later date.

Naturally customers are not happy. The WSJ article quotes one of the customers, Virgin Atlantic

In a recent interview, Virgin Atlantic Airways Chief Executive Steve Ridgeway voiced customers' growing frustration. "We're pretty fed up," he said. "We've got no clarity from Boeing."

Virgin was originally due to receive its first Dreamliner in 2011, but "we don't know how long the delay is now," Mr. Ridgeway said. He referred to the Dreamliner as "the world's rarest airplane."