The head of Boeing Co's Commercial Airplanes unit reaffirmed on Wednesday that the plane-maker can correct a glitch on the 787 Dreamliner and meet its delivery goals for the plane this year.
"I see nothing to date that leads me to believe that we won't deliver all the 787s we have in our plan by the end of the year," Jim Albaugh told a JPMorgan Aviation, Transportation and Defense conference that was broadcast over the Internet.
The Dreamliner is the world's first commercial airplane with an airframe made largely of light-weight carbon composites. It boasts unprecedented fuel-efficiency and is a hit among customers, who have ordered about 870 of the planes.
The 787 is about three years behind its development schedule, largely because of snags in the complex global supply chain used to make the plane. Boeing delivered the first 787 last year.
In February, Boeing reported signs of "delamination" on the rear fuselage of some 787s. Delamination occurs when stress causes layered composite materials to separate. The issue was the result of a manufacturing error that occurred at a Boeing plant in South Carolina.
Shares of Boeing were up 70 cents at $75.01 on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Reporting By Kyle Peterson; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
Reuters
