A Boeing spokeswoman described any timelines for the aircraft as "conjecture" until Boeing reconfigures its production schedule.
It's the seventh time that Boeing has revised its development schedule for the 787, Walton noted. He predicts that the first flight will still occur this summer, with the first delivery being pushed back to 2010 -- assuming no other problems are uncovered.
Boeing could face additional order cancellations, Walton said, although it's unlikely to see a mass exodus of customers. But each delay gives airlines greater leverage in bargaining with Boeing for compensation.
The global downturn in air travel may benefit Boeing, however, noted John Strickland, a former airline executive who is director of JLS Consulting, a United Kingdom-based air transport consultancy.
"Inevitably airlines are going to scream," Strickland said. "Pragmatically behind the scenes, they're probably relieved. They're already putting aircraft on the ground and cutting flights."
The moderation in fuel prices from 2008's highs has also eased the pressure on carriers to find fuel-efficient planes, for now. "They're still going to want that, but there's a little less pressure at the moment," Strickland added.
Airbus SAS, Boeing's rival, has the benefit of learning from Boeing's mistakes as Airbus builds its first largely composite plane, the A350 XWB, Strickland noted.
France-based Airbus is also gaining orders from 787 customers who need planes now. On Monday, Virgin Atlantic announced plans to purchase 10 Airbus A330s to help fill the void. Virgin is negotiating to buy 50 larger A350 XWBs, Airbus' largely composite jet.
Boeing's struggles in producing the 787, which is running nearly two years late, have been well-documented and aren't a surprise to some aviation observers because it tackled two enormous tasks: making an all-new aircraft with space-age materials while outsourcing design and manufacturing of the plane on a scale it had never before attempted.
"At the end of the day, I believe the 787 will be a more efficient aircraft," said Daniel Eylon, chairman of the University of Dayton's graduate materials engineering program. "But it's a bigger challenge and at the same time a bigger headache.
Airbus opted for a more cautious approach to composites. It plans to stretch the carbon panels over a metal frame, making it easier to fix structural flaws with an individual panel. Boeing's fuselage is essentially a series of composite barrels fused together.
Once Boeing resolves its production woes, the plane should be lighter and "much more robust" than the Airbus offering because its composite "skin" acts as its structure, Eylon said.
"The 787 very much has the potential to be a game-changing aircraft," said Virgin Atlantic's Charles. "It will change the fuel economics of the industry. That's why, when it does arrive, it should be a very good aircraft. But it needs to arrive."
Boeing shares were down about 3 percent to $42.63 in mid-day trading, Wednesday, after tumbling 6.5 percent Tuesday.
jjohnsson@tribune.com
-----
To see more of the Chicago Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.chicagotribune.com.
Copyright (c) 2009, Chicago Tribune
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
NYSE:MS, NYSE:BA, OTC-PINK:ALNPY,
A service of YellowBrix, Inc.
