Howard Wheeldon Comments: Delay for Dreamliner - The Sun UK Online

American plane-maker BOEING has blamed Rolls Royce for yet another delay to its "revolutionary" Dreamliner 787 aircraft.
Boeing yesterday said Rolls had been unable to provide enough of its powerful, £11 million, Trent 1000 engines for final tests.

Rolls had a "blow out" at its Derby test site earlier this month.

The Dreamliner will now not be ready to go into service until early next year.

Japan's ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS expected to take the first jets by the end of 2010.

The "lean and green" Dreamliner is already more than two years late.

Britishh Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Thomson Airways are among the UK airlines who have placed orders.

Industry experts said the setback would hurt Rolls. One told the Sun: "This is a severe embarrasment for the company."

Rolls insisted the Boeing delay was unrelated to the blow-out but refused to elaborate.

Yet Howard Wheeldon, analyst at BGC PARTNERS, said the engine was critical to Boeing's hopes of obtaining "full certification" this year.

He added: "This latest delay will come as little surprise to long time followers of the programme.

"At the Farnborough Air Show, Boeing was clearly hedging bets over when the first delivery would be made."

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Howard Wheeldon Comments: Delay for Dreamliner - The Sun UK Online

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