Boeing 787 Dreamliner: UK delivery delayed amid safety concerns

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/feb/08/boeing-dreamliner-uk-delivery-delay

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Boeing has told the UK launch customer of the troubled 787 Dreamliner, Thomson Airways, that its first delivery will be delayed as the aerospace group races to resolve safety problems that have grounded the world's most modern passenger jet.

The news suggests the company is no longer expecting a quick resolution to the battery problems that have grounded the hi-tech airliners. Executives at Thomson Airways, owned by Britain's TUI Travel, and Norwegian Air Shuttle told Reuters on Friday they had been told the delivery of their 787s would be delayed.

Thomson's jets had been scheduled to arrive at the end of this month but that delivery has been postponed with no new delivery date given. Norwegian Air Shuttle said Boeing had informed the carrier that its planes would be delayed by the US's National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation into the battery fires.

The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), which must re-certify the 787, is waiting for a report from the NTSB, which its chairman, Deborah Hersman, said should be ready in 30 days.

Thomson had planned to fly its Dreamliners from May, and launched an advertising campaign in April calling the 787 the "future of long-haul travel". Last year the Thomson boss, Chris Browne, told the Guardian the 787 addressed the airline's "biggest source of complaints": comfort; legroom; and entertainment on long-haul holidays. "So we had to do something. It was a scary decision, but man, are we glad," she said.

Thomson was the third customer to commit to the 787, she said, and it "got a fantastic deal from Boeing. But I wouldn't like to buy it today – and I love shopping."

The airline said its contingency plans included using alternative aircraft for its flights to Mexico and Florida if the delivery was delayed beyond the end of March.

TUI Travel told Reuters on Thursday it had no plans to cancel its order for 13 Dreamliner jets. British Airways, owned by International Airlines Group, said it was in discussions with Boeing and the first of its 787 planes were still scheduled to be delivered in May. Virgin Atlantic said delivery of its 16 Dreamliners, starting in summer 2014, remained unchanged.

A Boeing spokeswoman said: "We have informed our customers expecting 787 deliveries in the near term that those aircraft either have been or are at risk of being delayed. We are staying in close communication with our customers as we work towards an approved means of compliance with the FAA airworthiness directive and develop a plan for resumption of 787 deliveries. Boeing deeply regrets the impact recent events have had on the schedules of our customers and their passengers."

The 787 has been grounded since a battery fire on a Japanese Airlines flight in Boston last month and a second incident involving a battery on a flight in Japan.