787 First Flight Delayed . . . Again

(MoneyWatch)  It has been nearly two years since Boeing first rolled out its 787 for the world to see. It should have flown long before now, but thank to delays, it still hasn't happened. That was supposed to change when reports surfaced that the plane would first take to the skies as soon as June 30. Now Boeing has dropped a bomb that it will be delayed, and it doesn't sound like it's going to happen any time soon.

I actually had a post ready to go talking about how the first flight was imminent and the 2010 delivery schedule, though balked at by customers, was actually not that bad. The economy should be rebounding and new planes could be arriving at just the right time. Customers would complain so that they could get as much compensation from Boeing as possible, but they might not have been too angry. That may all change now.

As usual, FlightBlogger is all over the problem, and he explains it in great detail in this video:

In short, there's a structural weakness that needs to be fixed, and they won't even have a new schedule for "several weeks." This does not bode well for Boeing. These delays keep creeping along and that means that the A350 becomes a more viable competitor if Airbus can get its act together.

Many airlines have already pondered interim measures. Virgin Atlantic, for example, just ordered a slew of A330s to be a stopgap until the 787 arrives. This delay shows that we won't even have a schedule for a few weeks, so I'd be very concerned if I were an airline with orders on the books right now.

I hope Boeing execs have a lot of kneepads, because there is going to be some serious grovelling required.