ANA says it hopes to minimise the impact of the delay to Boeing”s flagship 787 programme.
News that the launch of the twin-engined widebody had slipped six months has come as no real surprise, with deliveries now slated for late November or December next year.
”We regret that delivery of the 787 will be delayed and we hope to keep the impact of it to a minimum,” an ANA spokeswoman told ABTN, adding: ”Going forward, we will work closely with Boeing on the proposition for actual delivery.
The Japanese carrier created headlines by becoming Boeing”s largest ever launch customer, ordering 30 firm 787-3 and 20 787-8 aircraft, due for progressive service entry from December this year.
Delivery slippage now means that ANA will ”not commit” to a delivery date in case of further delays.
”We are disappointed about the schedule changes we are announcing, [but] we remain confident in the design of the 787 and fundamental innovation and technologies that underpin it,” said Boeing chairman, president and CEO, Jim McNerney.
The US manufacturer says that challenges concerning aircraft assembly had contributed to the delay, with a first flight now anticipated for the end of the first quarter next year.
”While we have made some progress completing work on our early production aircraft, the pace of that progress has not been sufficient to support our previous plans for first delivery or first flight,” said Boeing president and CEO Commercial Airplanes, Scott Carson.
”We deeply regret the impact these delays will have on our customers and are committed to minimise disruption to their plans.
Ironically, the news comes as arch-rival Airbus, prepares for the formal handover of the first A380 to Singapore Airlines next Monday (15 October), although that programme itself has been subject to severe delays.