Boeing has once again delayed the first flight for its Boeing 787 Dreamliner, this time after discovering a potential safety problem with one of the sections of the aircraft.
The US manufacturer says that a need to “reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft” was discovered during scheduled trials of the static test airframe. Preliminary analysis had indicated that the maiden flight could go ahead in late June as planned, but after further assessment and consideration of possible modified flight test plans, Boeing decided to postpone the event.
No new timetable for the first flight has been announced, nor what impact the latest delay will have on plans to deliver the first production aircraft to All Nippon Airways (ANA) of Japan in the first quarter of 2010.
For more on this story look out for the next issue of Airliner World.
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