Boeing has delayed the launch flight of its 787 Dreamliner until December because of problems in the final assembly, but insists this will not delay delivery of the first aircraft next May.
The maiden test flight had originally been expected in August.
Japan’s All Nippon Airways is due to operate the first 787, with First Choice Airways – likely to be re-branded as Thomsonfly following merger between First Choice and TUI – set to be the first UK carrier to fly the aircraft in 2009.
The delays mean Boeing must complete the test-flight programme in five months – less than half the time it spent on its last all-new commercial jet, the 777, launched in 1995.
The 787 is expected to transform long-haul flying. Its fuel efficiency will allow direct flights over greater distances and put long-range destinations within reach of regional airports, and its enhanced cabin technology should reduce jet lag.
Boeing has more than 700 firm orders for the aircraft, made primarily from carbon composite fibre rather than aluminium.