Boeing says Dreamliner to fly this year

Aug 27, 2009, 17:59 GMT

Seattle - Boeing's long-delayed Dreamliner 787 is to make its first flight by the end of the year and launch customer All Nippon Airways will receive its first planes by the end of 2010, the company said Thursday.

The next-generation aircraft had been due for its commercial launch in May 2008, but has been repeatedly delayed due to construction and engineering problems. The latest delay came in June, when engineers found a structural weakness at points where the wings attach to the body - a problem that Boeing says has now been fixed.

The company Thursday took a 2.5-billion-dollar charge resulting from the delays but said that the Dreamliner would still be profitable in the long run.

Boeing had sold some 850 of the aircraft at an average price of 178 million dollars. The new planes, which use lightweight carbon and composite materials, are estimated to be about 20 per cent more fuel efficient than the 777s and 767s currently in use. Boeing plans to produce 10 Dreamliners a month once production ramps up to full capacity by late 2013.