Another postponement for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner

The struggling Boeing 787 Dreamliner programme received another jolt with the company announcing Tuesday it would further delay the first flight of the new jet. The first flight was scheduled to take place in the second quarter of 2009.

''First flight and first delivery will be rescheduled following the final determination of the required modification and testing plan,'' Boeing said in a statement. ''It will be several weeks before the new schedule is available.''

The first flight scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2009 was timed to enable deliveries to be made in the first quarter of 2010.

The company said Tuesday, the flight needed to be delayed in order to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft.

The futuristic aircraft's airframe is made from lightweight composite material instead of the industry-standard aluminium.

''Structural modifications like these are not uncommon in the development of new airplanes, and this is not an issue related to our choice of materials or the assembly and installation work of our team,'' said Scott Carson, the president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

The 787 Dreamliner, a wide-bodied, long-range aircraft, is expected to be 20 per cent more fuel efficient than similar long-haul planes.

Boeing had announced its first order for the 787 in 2004, from All Nippon Airways. It actually celebrated putting the first aircraft, meant for delivery to the ANA, on the assembly line just a few days' back.

After the initial ANA order for 50 aircraft Boeing received nearly 900 orders from atleast 70 international airlines. It is already the most popular new plane in the company's history.

Boeing had initially hoped the plane would fly before the end of 2008 with deliveries scheduled for late 2009. But a strike by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers knocked that schedule out of gear.

Industry observers have been faulting the company for committing itself to an over-ambitious development programme for an aircraft which is designed to set industry standards in many ways.