Boeing Co. is on track to deliver the long-delayed 787 Dreamliner to its first customer in the third quarter, the head of the 787 program said Friday.
Speaking to reporters at Boeing’s San Antonio site, Scott Fancher said he could not attribute any canceled 787 orders to delays that have put the program nearly three years behind schedule.
“Our first deliveries to our customers are on track for the third quarter,” Fancher said.
Boeing is the world’s second-largest commercial plane-maker, behind Europe’s Airbus. Its Dreamliner is the highest-profile project for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The lightweight aircraft is made largely of carbon composites and offers greater fuel-efficiency to penny-pinching airlines.
The aircraft has captured the imagination of the aviation world, but problems with the extensive supply chain, as well as labor disputes, have put the program nearly three years behind its original schedule.
Orders for the 787 are robust. The company has 843 booked now, a record for a Boeing plane still in development.
But the company sees periodic cancellations, including the loss of eight this week from an unidentified customer.
“I don’t know that we’ve seen any cancellations due to delays. Most of the cancellations we’ve seen have been due to the specific economic conditions or business conditions of our customers,” Fancher said.
Shares of Boeing were up 0.4 percent, at $71.56, on the New York Stock Exchange in midafternoon.
