Boeing will build a factory complete 787 that requires no post-assembly rework during mid-year, the company confirmed.
Company CEO Jim McNerney said a 787 with a line number in the "mid-60s" will go directly from the factory to pre-flight operations "this summer" rather than require post certification rework at the nearby Everett Modification Center, established to bring 787s into deliverable certification conformity.
Programme sources have indicated the first "right to pre-flight" 787 will be Airplane 63. Boeing is set to begin final assembly on 787 Airplane 57 in late-January.
The final assembly line is currently operating at a rate of 2.5 aircraft per month, with plans to advance to 3.5 per month in the second quarter and has re-affirmed its plan to achieve 10 per month in late 2013.
Change incorporation requirements for 787s built in the first half of 2012 are expected to be significantly less than previously assembled aircraft, said Greg Smith, CFO-elect.
Boeing expects to deliver 70 to 85 747-8s and 787s in 2012, half of which will be 787s.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
