Boeing 787 deliveries grounded 6 months

CHICAGO. Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner will be the first new American commercial jetliner built in more than a decade. The airplane maker has long promised it will fly faster and farther than any other medium-sized jet, using 20 percent less fuel and offering increased comfort.

Now it also will be at least six months late.

Acknowledging early problems assembling the first 787s have disrupted its schedule, the aerospace company said yesterday it is delaying initial deliveries of the ballyhooed aircraft by six months. Instead of next May, the first deliveries are now targeted for late November or December 2008.

The first test flight, already pushed back once from the initial target of earlier this fall, now is not anticipated until the end of the first quarter of 2008.

The delay highlights inherent problems in building new airplanes and could slow the momentum Boeing built up after years of lagging behind European rival Airbus, which itself stumbled in introducing its superjumbo A380 two years behind schedule.

Chairman and CEO Jim McNerney expressed disappointment over the delays but said the company remains confident about the 787’s design and supporting technologies. “Our most important commitment is to deliver an airplane that performs to expectations over the long term,” he said.

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