(SEATTLE) Boeing Co's maiden flight of its 787 Dreamliner has
been pushed back to October from late September, the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer reported, citing unnamed sources. The push-back
is mostly blamed on the installation of intricate systems on the
plane, the newspaper said. The postponement is the second time the
first flight has been delayed, the paper said.
CEO James McNerney said last month that Boeing's plan was to have
the Dreamliner flying by the end of September, about a month later
than its initial goal, the paper said. At the time, Mr McNerney
said the first flight could possibly be pushed back to October and
he said Boeing could still deliver the plane on time if the maiden
flight took place 'a little beyond' the end of September.
'We have contingency plans in place that would protect the planned
May 2008 delivery date in the event that the date of first flight
moves,' Boeing spokeswoman Yvonne Leach said on Friday. 'While the
plan we put in place and continue to work toward supports a first
flight target by the end of September, schedule pressure from these
risks are increasing.' - Bloomberg
Source: Business Times.
Morale of the Story: Things don't always go well as planned... ?
