Despite Boeing’s troubles in delivering the 787 on time, programme general manager Pat Shanahan is at pains to stress it is already the fastest selling airliner in history. On the eve of Farnborough Boeing has to date sold 896 units to 58 customers, with 200 sold in the past 12 months alone at a time when the programme has taken its biggest hits in delay terms.
To a degree the delays have “overshadowed the value statement of the product we are building”, believes Shanahan. The 787 promises to burn 20% less fuel compared to a similarly sized 767 and produce a 30% reduction in maintenance costs, as well as offering airlines the ability to connect new city pairs out of reach of current types, he says.
“I’m excited by what that airplane is going to look like and what it looks like for the airlines,” he says. The message from Boeing’s sales team to Shanahan is simple: “We’ve got the right airplane. The issue is – Pat, you’ve got to build them faster and get them faster into the marketplace.”
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Boeing’s plan is to deliver about 25 787s next year, but it will not yet reveal a number for how many it will deliver in 2010. The priority is to get the production line flowing. “We’ll focus on getting the airplane flying first, getting the airplane into the flight test programme, getting certification, getting first delivery and then ramp and while doing all that build the -9,” says Shanahan.
The 787-9 version of the aircraft, which will carry 290 passengers, is the second model in the family coming after the 210-250 seat 787-8 version. The first delivery of the 787-9 will be to Air New Zealand in 2012.
A further stretch of the 787 to carry over 300 passengers is also being studied by Boeing. But it has not yet made a formal decision on this model. “It really is in work and we won’t commit to a particular range or size until we have the right solution,” says Shanahan. “We need to go fly the 787-8 first so we know what we can do with the -10.”
Source: Flight International
