Boeing set to deliver 1st Dreamliner to China

09 June 2008

US aircraft maker Boeing has said that it will start deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner in the fourth quarter of 2009, starting with its Chinese customers.

The announcement comes after the aircraft maker pushed back target delivery dates thrice by more than a year behind its original schedule. Regretting the impact of the delays on its customers, Boeing sought to offer interim aircraft before delivery, said W James McNerney, president of The Boeing Company.

Five Chinese airlines - Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan Airlines and Shanghai Airlines – have ordered a total of 60 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in 2005.

Boeing has also announced that its 787 Dreamliner would make its first flight during the fourth quarter of 2008, repeating the revised schedule for the new airplane's launch announced in April.

The Dreamliner is the counter-strategy in modern aviation to Airbus' A380, betting on the other end of the spectrum. While the Airbus A380 intends to fly more people and cargo on its double passenger decks and humungous belly-hold, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aims at flying a payload of 330 passengers and their cargo, in a more fuel-efficient way than any other aircraft.

The first B787 rolled off the line last year. The B787 had smashed early sales records for Boeing, and is seen as ky to the company's financial future, as is the A380 for Airbus.