Boeing News
Boeing To Shift Focus To 787 Production Series
Flight International (3/9, Ostrower) reported, "Boeing is set to begin final assembly of the sixth and final 787 flight-test airframe, paving the way for the first production Dreamliner. Major supplier partners have delivered the majority of key structural and systems components to final assembly." Now, "with these parts delivered, structural partners are, for the first time, able to focus resources solely on preparing production aircraft."
In a second article, Flight International (3/9, Ostrower) reported, "As Boeing presses towards a first flight in the second quarter, airline customers have begun to raise questions publicly about the 787s performance." Questioning the aircraft's range, Aeromexico CEO Andres Conesa warned that "the aircraft may fail to meet original performance specifications, including the ability to operate non-stop flights from Mexico City to Asia." The article noted that "Boeing has instituted an aggressive weight reduction plan ahead of first flight to bring 787 performance back in line with customer expectations."
SPEEA Rejects Strike, Hopes To Resume Boeing Talks. Kansas' Puget Sound Business Journal (3/9, McCoy) reported, "Four days after rejecting The Boeing Co.'s contract offer for the second time in under a month, members of its engineers' union in Wichita, Kan., hope to soon return to talks with the company." Although "members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace voted down Boeing's contract offer," the union "also voted against giving SPEEA leadership the authorization to call a strike." The vote "expressed their displeasure with the contract, but also their willingness to work with the company," said SPEEA Midwest Director Bob Brewer. He adds that "no timetable has been set for returning to contract negotiations, but that the two sides are discussing how and when to schedule the next round of talks."
