BOEING progressed the 7E7 Dreamliner last week with an update to some 80 -airline representatives and eight financial institutions. The two-day meeting in Seattle provided Boeing the opportunity to listen to customer requirements, share concepts to standardize and simplify the aeroplane, and reveal the 7E7's state-of-the-art interior. The 7E7 recently reached a key milestone known as "firm concept," an indication that the programme has been determined in broad terms regarding size and functionality. The next major milestone is Authority to Offer ” a business milestone that must be approved by the company's board of directors. Schedules call for Authority to Offer to be completed late this year or early in 2004. The first deliveries of the 7E7 are expected to be in 2008. On a separate front the US manufacturer announced last week a deal for 30 Next Generation Boeing 737 aircraft with China. Six different Chinese airlines will take delivery in 2005 and 2006.
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