Boeing has delivered its first 787 Dreamliner but questions have been raised over whether the jet will ever make money for the aircraft manufacturer.
The Dreamliner will finally enter service with Japanese airline ANA next month after three years of delays caused by technical problems during development. Boeing plans to make 10 Dreamliners a month from 2013 although there are doubts about its ability to meet the production schedule.
This month it emerged Monarch Airlines had cancelled its order for six of the aircraft, the delay in delivering giving the airline time to change its strategy to focus more on short-haul flying. Tui Travel is due to be the first airline in the UK to fly the Dreamliner after it takes delivery of its first of eight from January next year.
The Dreamliner’s revolutionary design makes it more fuel efficient and capable of flying over longer distances than conventional aircraft. Reports at the weekend suggested that the delays had seen the cost of developing the aircraft to £32 billion raising questions as to whether the jet will ever make money for Boeing.
Global launch partner ANA has ordered 50 of the aircraft for a total price of $11 billion.