Boeing Starts 787-9 Assembly While Talks Continue about 787-10X

摘要

Assembly of the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is due to start in the first few weeks of 2013. Pat Shanahan, Vice-President of Airplane Programs of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, recently said three forward fuselage sections and wing spars for the new variant of the Dreamliner were nearing completion with sub-contractor Kawasaki Heavy Industries at Nagoya in Japan (further to 787-9 Assembly Starts, October 2012, p26). The initial Section 43 fuselage barrel will be transported to North Charleston, South Carolina, for further work before going to the production line at Everett, Washington. First flight of the 787-9 is planned for June 2013 and service entry with Air New Zealand in early 2014.