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![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Apr-04-2007 Boeing's Dreamliner is fastest-selling new jet(topic overview)CONTENTS:
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The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 13.22, or 0.93 percent, to 1,437.77, and the Nasdaq composite index added 28.07, or 1.16 percent, to 2,450.33. EVERETT - Boeing has sold more than 500 of its new fuel-efficient 787 passenger jets and is looking for ways to speed production rates, the company said Tuesday. "We've clearly captivated the world's airlines with this airplane," 787 program chief Mike Bair told hundreds of Boeing workers gathered for the announcement. [1] Mike Bair, the 787 program chief, said that a speed-up in production would probably occur only after the first 112 airplanes are made in 2008-09. Bair would not say how many airplanes a month the company plans to produce at its Washington state plants once the they hit their stride. The 787 is scheduled to make its first flight in late August, and enter commercial service in 2008.[2] ![]() The Boeing 787 Dreamliner program has tallied more than 500 orders three months ahead of its rollout, a pace of orders unprecedented in any previous jet program. Standing this morning in the atrium of the main building at Everett, surrounded by 3,000 to 4,000 787 employees, Boeing's Mike Bair made the announcement with a vice president from Japan Airlines. [3] LONDON - The Boeing Company announced a new order from Japan Airlines Corp for five 787 Dreamliners, taking Boeings total orders for the plane to over 500. Boeing said the JAL order for five planes, in addition to several orders from unidentified customers, brings the 787s order total to 514 airplanes from 43 customers since its launch in April 2004, making it the fastest-selling commercial airplane in history.[4] Boeing says the 787 provides passengers with a better flying experience and airlines with a more efficient commercial jetliner. It uses 20 per cent less fuel per passenger than similarly sized airplanes and it has several environment-friendly features like lower emissions and quieter takeoffs and landings. The plane is set for its maiden test flight in August.[5] Boeing has now collected 514 orders for the 787, which is designed to burn 20 percent less fuel than comparable airplanes by using more lightweight composites. Another first for Boeing is the amount of work on major structures being handled by other companies around the world, which then ship the pieces to U.S. factories.[6] Boeing Co. has now collected 514 orders for the 787, from more than 40 customers. Some larger U.S. carriers have not yet placed firm orders, but Bair said he expects more domestic airlines to make purchase decisions in the next year.[7] Bair also said opening up a second line here to increase production is unlikely. "We don't think we need an extra line," he said. As Boeing hits 787 milestones, such as the plane's rollout on July 8, the company will begin shifting staff to its 747-8 program rather than making significant staff cuts, Bair said. Boeing's 787 orders stretch out into the latter half of the decade, with the plane essentially sold out through 2012.[8] Among Boeing's wide-body planes, the pace of 787 orders is running at nearly four times that of the next most successful early seller, the 747 jumbo jet that rolled out in September 1968. Some 3,000 to 4,000 employees working on the 787 program, mostly engineers, crowded the stairs and balconies above and below Bair as he spoke to the gallery. They whooped enthusiastically as Bair proclaimed the Dreamliner's success before television cameras.[9] Some additional orders since then bring the current total to 514. "We have clearly captivated the world's airlines with this airplane," said Bair, head of the 787 program.[3] Inside the airplane, it has cleaner air, bigger windows, more stowage space and improved lighting. Commenting on completing the 500 order mark, Mike Bair, 787 vice president and general manager, said: "Surpassing the 500 order mark this early in the program - more than a year before the first airplane is delivered - shows that Boeing made the right choice in our point-to-point business strategy, and that the 787 team made the right choices in designing the airplane."[10] Boeing's stock jumped 1.2 percent Tuesday, closing the day at $89.90. Boeing considers the Dreamliner its fastest-selling plane - a measure it calculates by considering how long the 787 took to reach its 500th order since winning its first on April 26, 2004. By that standard, the 787 hit the mark in just less than 3 years, slightly quicker than the 737 Next Generation did in 1996.[8] Without a single jet yet built, Boeing's new 787 program has already reached an aviation milestone: the fastest commercial model to reach 500 orders.[11] If the 787 program is to surpass the order record held by the next-generation 737, however, Boeing must land an additional 224 firm orders before the first 787 is delivered to All Nippon Airways. Otherwise, after May 2008, Boeing will no longer be able to say that the 787 is the "fastest-selling" jetliner ever.[12] Boeing has said the program remains on schedule to meet that key delivery date. It could be difficult for the 787 order pace to continue for another year.[12] Boeing's 737 Next Generation grabbed 500 orders 36 months after the company began taking orders - just slightly faster than the 787. In terms of how quickly new jets have sold, the real comparison lies between the 787, the 767 and Airbus' A330, Hamilton said, noting they are all aircraft of comparable size.[8] EVERETT, WASH. - Boeing has sold so many of its new fuel-efficient 787 passenger jets that it's looking for ways to speed production.[13] Bair said Boeing officials are studying ways to increase production rates for the 787. He said a likely production speedup would only occur after the first 112 airplanes are produced in 2008-09.[14] Information from suppliers, confirmed by internal documents obtained by The Seattle Times, indicates Boeing envisages reaching a rate of seven jets per month in the year and a half after first delivery in 2008, then bumping up the production rate in 2010 to 10 per month an unprecedented production rate for wide-bodies.[9] A senior Boeing executive said Tuesday the company plans to significantly boost production rates after the first two years of production—which begins in May, 2008.[11] ![]() Subcontractors around the world also are handling an increased workload to help build the plane, shipping major structures to the U.S. for assembly. Bair would not disclose how many airplanes per month Boeing plans to produce at its Washington state plants once the assembly process hits its stride. Officials have previously said they eventually hope to assemble each 787 in three days. [7] Boeing has also been under pressure to continue reducing the airplane's overall weight. According to Bair, the plane is about 2% overweight but he called the issue manageable and says he is confident the plane will meet its weight targets.[11] ![]() Inside the airplane, passengers will find cleaner air, bigger windows, more stowage space and improved lighting. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner will lead the industry into the next generation of flight using the latest in ground-breaking technology to provide airlines with a family of airplanes that allows them to take their passengers where they want to go, when they want to go. [15] The 787 is piling up orders nearly 30% faster than that plane, a notable feat in an industry where single-aisle jets have always outsold widebodies. The production challenge is compounded by a global supply chain that relies on partner suppliers to design and build big chunks of the airplane, such as the wings and fuselage sections. This process also ventures into unknown territory, and so far it has been a journey fraught with many close calls.[11] Overall, I am very pleased with the progress we are currently making. This progress is evident in the production line, the results from flight testing, and the enthusiasm of Eclipse employees. It is because of you, our customers, that we continue to press on to deliver the best jet that General Aviation has ever dreamed of, much less delivered.[16] Several unnamed customers have now been added to the total, taking the order tally to 514. Only two of those customers are U.S. airlines - Continental and Northwest. Most domestic carriers, wallowing in years of red ink in the wake of 9/11, are unable to put down money on the new fuel efficient jets and will have to wait a long time just to get them.[14] Boeing doesn't necessarily need a big order from another U.S. airline to make the 787 a success, aviation analyst Scott Hamilton with Leeham Co. LLC said. "They don't need it, but of course they want it," he said.[7] Forty-three separate airlines have made orders for the 787, which is now the fastest selling commercial airplane in history.[17] "The real number I focus in on is 43 customers. It's 43 customers around the world. It's a real broad validation that this is an airplane that almost every airline in the world is going to find use for," said Bair.[14] ![]() The 787 planes use 20% less fuel per passenger than similarly-sized airplanes and has lower emissions and quieter takeoffs and landings. [10] Built with lightweight composites and more fuel-efficient engines, the twin-engine, 225-seat 787 burns 20% less fuel than other airplanes of similar size.[11] ![]() A little more than half of the plane's structure is made up of carbon-fiber composites, a first for Boeing. Another first for Boeing is the amount of work on major structures being handled by other companies around the world, which then ship the pieces to U.S. factories. [18] The previous record holder for quick-order tallies was Boeing's line of larger "next-generation" 737s, which the company introduced in the 1990s with the 737-700, 800, and 900 versions.[11] The fastest pace of orders on any previous program was for the 737 Next Generation series, which had 473 orders before the first one was ceremonially rolled out of the factory in December 1996. The 737 is a much smaller single-aisle jet; such jets typically sell in far greater numbers than the bigger wide-bodies.[9] The 787 has even eclipsed the order pace of the next-generation 737, which had 476 firm orders by the time the first plane was rolled from the Renton plant Dec. 8, 1996.[12] REFERENCES 1. Ventura County Star: Business 2. Winston-Salem Journal | Boeing explores ways to speed 787 production 3. Business & Technology | Boeing's 787 orders top 500 | Seattle Times Newspaper 4. Latest News | News | Hemscott 5. Boeing has orders for 514 Dreamliner aircraft 6. Tulsa World 7. The Daily News Online 8. HeraldNet: 787 soars past sales milestone 9. Business & Technology | Boeing's Dreamliner is fastest-selling new jet | Seattle Times Newspaper 10. Daytrading, Eminis, Forex trading, Swing Trading BREAKING NEWS - 526042 11. Sky-High Expectations for Boeing 12. Aerospace Notebook: Boeing 787 sets record -- it's fastest-selling airliner 13. newsobserver.com | New Boeing jetliner sales take off 14. Boeing 787 orders now top 500 | Top Stories | KING5.com | News for Seattle, Washington 15. EPICOS 16. Aero-News Network: The Aviation and Aerospace World's Daily/Real-Time News and Information Service 17. Boeing takes 500th Dreamliner order 18. Boeing passes 500 orders for 787 ![]() |
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