Boeing Pushes Back 747-8 Program, First 777F Delivery Due Early 2009

Cargolux Surprised At “Substantial Delay”

Carrier To Evaluate Fleet/Planning As A Result Of The Delays

Lufthansa Remains Committed To 747-8I

First 777F Delivery Now Scheduled For Early 2009

After announcing a slip in the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner due to disruption caused by the IAM strike, Boeing today confirmed a revised program schedule for both the 747-8F and 747-8 Intercontinental.

The new schedule now calls for first delivery of the 747-8F to launch customer Cargolux in the third quarter of 2010 as opposed to the third quarter of 2009. Deliveries for the 747-8I will commence from the second quarter of 2011, pushed back originally from late 2010.

Image courtesy of Newairplane.com

In a statement, Head Of Cargolux PR, J. Erpelding, told FleetBuzz Editorial.com that the carrier was surprised at the length of the delays.

“This is a substantial delay [up to one year] to the Dash 8. Perhaps its not really a surprise given the recent strike, (and a combination of other factors) but we’re still looking forward to taking delivery of our new freighters,” he said.

Erpelding also notes that it will not now have any new additional capacity for 2009. He noted that the airline would be conducting a review of its operations in lieu of the delays to the 747-8F.

Lufthansa, the current sole airline customer for the 747-8I tells FleetBuzz Editorial.com that it remains committed to the airplane.

“So far no exact new delivery date has been announced. Suggestions for a later delivery appointment are now being discussed with Boeing. Lufthansa holds on to the ordering of 20 B747-8,” says spokesperson S. Ptassek based in London for the German flag carrier.

“Our entire team has worked hard to mitigate growing schedule risk on this program but have been unable to overcome the collective impact of work statement increases to the original design, a tight supply of engineering resources, and the recent Machinists’ strike,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Scott Carson.

“We are clearly disappointed in what this schedule change means for our customers, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders. However, it is the appropriate and prudent decision to ensure a successful program, and we are committed to working with our customers to mitigate any disruption it causes them.“

Image copyright/owned by FleetBuzz Editorial.com

Ross R. Bogue, vice president and general manager of the 747 program noted that “the remaining work on the 747-8 program is well defined,“.

Assembly of the first 747-8F commenced in August 2008.

Boeing cites supply chain issues that resulted from design changes to the 747-8 in an effort to tackle the higher than anticipated weight target as well as limited engineering resources as the key reasons behind the decision to push back both passenger and freighter models.

Cargolux CFO David Arendt had already confirmed that it was expecting its first 747-8F to be up to six months late due to the effects of the strike on Boeing’s production lines.

In its third quarter earnings call, CEO Jim McNerney had advised that costs on the 747-8 program had gone up, however he maintained that despite only having Lufthansa as an airline customer for the 747-8I, (aside from several BBJ orders) the model would be built.

“We are committed to working with our customers to mitigate any disruption this causes them,” says 747 spokesman Tim Bader.

There had also been growing concern that with the 787 flight test program dominating 2009, Boeing’s decision to push back on the 747-8 program means it will avoid flight testing overlaps and crewing issues - moreover, giving time for the company to more aggressively achieve its own weight targets on the 747-8.

Image courtesy of moonm

Boeing also today confirmed that the first delivery of the 777F to launch customer Air France would now take place in early 2009, attributing delays as a result of the recent industrial dispute.

“We’ve assessed the impact of the work stoppage on the 777 Freighter first delivery schedule and, at this time, we anticipate first delivery to be in the first quarter of 2009,” says 777 spokeswoman Carrie Thearle.

“We expect the third 777 Freighter, currently in production [F-GUOC], to be the first one delivered,” she added.

Air France was unavailable for comment on the delivery delay.

The first three 777F’s are for Air France, including the two airplanes currently undergoing flight certification tests.

China Southern Airlines is due to take delivery of the fourth 777F and Emirates SkyCargo is due to receive the fifth 777F in early 2009.

17 comments November 14th, 2008