United Airlines will receive its next few Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners later than it expected, as it faces further delays to delivery of the aircraft since receiving its first in September.
The Chicago-based Star Alliance carrier said that subsequent deliveries of the 787 are delayed, in an employee bulletin on 26 September. It had planned to receive four additional aircraft this year.
United received its first Dreamliner (N20904) from Boeing on 22 September and flew it to Houston Intercontinental on 28 September.
Boeing faces a significant backlog of Dreamliners as it attempts to meet the low-end of its delivery guidance for 2012. The airframer disclosed that it had only delivered 11 787s in the third quarter earlier this month, which at the time left it 31 combined 747-8s and 787s to deliver before the end of the year.
United said that the delivery delays would only impact its planned domestic 787 flights and not its international schedule, in the bulletin.
The airline will fly its first commercial 787 flight from Houston to Chicago O'Hare on 4 November. The first international flight is scheduled to be Houston to Amsterdam on 4 December.
Continental Airlines, which merged with United in 2010, was originally slated to receive its first 787 in February 2009 when it placed the order in 2004.
United has 50 787s on order.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
