Business and Finance

CHICAGO–Boeing Co. has delayed its 787 jetliner program again, pushing back its expected commercial service debut to the third quarter of 2009.

The delay announced yesterday pushes the 787’s schedule back approximately another six months and means the aircraft touted for its fuel-efficiency potential is now more than a year behind the original schedule.

The first test flight is now expected to take place in the fourth quarter. The company had initially planned to begin test flights last August or September and deliver the first plane to Japan’s All Nippon Airways this May.

The fourth delay with the 787, coming less than three months after the last one, further undermines Boeing’s credibility on the much-hyped program and also is a setback to the more than 50 airlines that have placed nearly 900 orders for the top-selling plane. Buyers are likely to seek compensation for the delays.

The 787, Boeing’s first newly designed jet since airlines started flying the 777 in 1995, will be the world’s first large commercial airplane made mostly of carbon-fibre composites, which are lighter, more durable and less prone to corrosion than more traditional aluminum pay day loans. Boeing has said the plane will be cheaper to maintain and offer greater fuel efficiency and more passenger comforts than comparable planes flying today.

But the unprecedented plan to assemble the jet from components manufactured largely by other companies has run into multiple snags involving outsourcing problems involving contractors in numerous countries.

Boeing said it now expects to deliver 25 of the new airplanes in 2009, down sharply from the originally planned 109.

The company said it expects no change to 2008 earnings guidance. Associated Press

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