Albaugh Visits Charleston
Newly minted President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Jim Albaugh, made his first visit to Boeing Charleston and Global Aeronautica today as news spreads of the recently filed permits for the second 787 assembly line.
Though there appears to be no direct connection to Albaugh’s visit to Charleston and the selection of a second line, that decision – expected by year’s end – will define his early months at the helm of BCA.
The Charleston Post Courier reports that the details of the permits make way for a 720,000 sq. ft. facility at the southern end of Charleston Air Force base on the Boeing Campus. Scott Hamilton notes that the Everett factory is 4.3 million sq. ft. by comparison. A quick calculation shows that 720,000 sq. ft. is roughly one-sixth of the Everett factory, which is split into six main bays for final assembly of the 747, 767, 777 and 787. The 720,000 sq. ft. figure makes the new facility’s footprint almost identical to that of the current 787 line.
Sources indicate that that there has been increased surveying activity at the Boeing Charleston site with heavy equipment arriving on site, such as an excavator, small bulldozer and a brush cutter.
Boeing emphasizes that no decision has been made on the location of the second line, however, the permits indicate that brush clearing would begin in November if the green-light is given.
In addition, the State of Washington has publicly made its own case for why it should be the site of the second 787 line. Scott Hamilton explores the important difference between Washington State not providing Boeing any incentive for the second line vs. Boeing not actually asking for anything from Washington.
Z18 Moves -9 Again
This page reported last week that the first 787-9 would be airplane
109 instead of 88. The 109 figure was correct, however only to the Z17
schedule, not the latest Z18 revision, which now puts the first 787-9
at LN139. Apologies for any confusion.
The Changing Tone of the Backlog
In recent weeks, the tone of the now 840 aircraft 787 backlog has shifted. When early customers discussed cancellations, the reasons given were attributable to the economic downturn. QANTAS, LCAL, S7, SkyPeace, RBS (unconfirmed) all cited the economy as the key driver for the cancellations. Earlier this week, TUI Travel, which recently merged with First Choice, reduced its combined 787 order by 10, while expanding purchase rights for an addition 13 aircraft.
However, as the global recession begins to bottom, 787 customers have begun to cite the program delays as a driver in future fleet planning. Oman Air now says its order for 10 hinges on the outcome of first flight, while Kenya Airways is openly discussing a potential A330 order for interim capacity and LOT Polish Airlines is considering placing an Airbus order as well. In addition, Vietnam Airlines is also weighing its options on its 787 order.
First flight could help to settle much of this uneasiness, however the number of airlines seeking either interim lift or discussing potential order cancellations has grown considerably. These four airlines hold firm orders for a total of 39 787s, according to Boeing’s website.
Dreamliner Eleven
Boeing is set to take delivery of the final structural sections (Forward and Center) for the
11th 787 this weekend and early next week as the production pace beings to
quicken. Early next week will also see the arrival of the wings for Dreamliner 12 as the line pulses forward. As the final body join for the 11th 787 gets underway later next week, the first production 787 (ZA100) will likely move out of final assembly to the paint hangar for closeout and aqueous wash of the wing tanks before receiving the official ANA colors. Access to the side of body and center tanks will still be available to install the wing fix later on.
Dreamliner Eight – Photo Credit Brendan Sobie
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.