QF confirms no firm 787 delivery dates

[markis10]

Still nothing is locked in it seems:

QANTAS still does not have a definitive delivery date for its new aircraft type, the Boeing 787.

The 787 is more than three years late due to issues ranging from parts shortages to production problems, strike action and, most recently, an onboard fire during flight testing.

Despite Boeing expecting to deliver the first 787 to Japan's All Nippon Airways in the third quarter of this year, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said the group still did not have definitive delivery dates for the long-awaited plane.

"We're still looking at the 787 for the last quarter of 2012," Mr Joyce said.

Read more: More delays for Qantas Boeing 787 aircraft | News.com.au ​

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[anat0l]

This continuous delay is really doing nothing good for QF's fleet management and strategy, whilst it has cost them a considerable amount of money already.

 

[tuppaware]

I wonder if this will push Qantas more towards Airbus??
I bet the Boeing Sales staff are working overtime for this one!

 

[casanovawa]

Howz the Airbus A350 coming along?

 

[oz_mark]

Howz the Airbus A350 coming along?

According to SQ, it's running late.

EXCLUSIVE: The first batch of the 20 orders of Boeing 787 Dreamliner by the national airline of Singapore will no longer be expected this year as originally scheduled due to the manufacturer’s production technicalities. Deployment of the 20 Airbus A350-900 XWB aircrafts was likewise postponed to 2013 instead of next year, according to the management of Singapore Airlines (SIA).

Delivery of Boeing 787-9s and Airbus A350-900XWB to Singapore Airlines delayed | Singapore Business Review

 

[codash1099]

According to SQ, it's running late.



Delivery of Boeing 787-9s and Airbus A350-900XWB to Singapore Airlines delayed | Singapore Business Review

I may be wrong (!) but I'm not sure the A350XWB was ever slated for 2012 delivery. (all jump on me now ). That may have been the date for the original A350.

 

[Kendall Roy]

If only they picked up some 777s!

 

[elbarto]

A350 is slated for a 2nd half 2013 EIS and a first flight in 2012. Perhaps SQ delayed their order? QR are the launch customer for the A350.

 

[UP4014]

I wonder if this will push Qantas more towards Airbus??
I bet the Boeing Sales staff are working overtime for this one!

I'd hazard a bet that some airlines are quietly relieved at the delay.

 

[Flying Fox]

I wonder if this will push Qantas more towards Airbus??
I bet the Boeing Sales staff are working overtime for this one!

Well this news doesn't help Boeing in anyway so I would assume that you are correct. If I heard correctly, there is/was an upper limit to QF's compensation for the delays so they won't be getting any more money for delays.

 

[pshepvic]

If only they picked up some 777s!

They absolutely should have put some 777's into the fleet. Relying on 2 new, un-proven aircraft for their fleet strategy (A380/787) was a big mistake.

We've seen what a problem the A380 caused without having a decent contingency plan with other aircraft, and I'd hate to see a similar problem with the 787 if something happens and they've got rid of their 767s when the new aircraft do start to arrive. There's not much room to move considering the age of the 767 fleet.

 

[codash1099]

They absolutely should have put some 777's into the fleet. Relying on 2 new, un-proven aircraft for their fleet strategy (A380/787) was a big mistake.

We've seen what a problem the A380 caused without having a decent contingency plan with other aircraft, and I'd hate to see a similar problem with the 787 if something happens and they've got rid of their 767s when the new aircraft do start to arrive. There's not much room to move considering the age of the 767 fleet.

I'm not so sure about the lack of a contingency plan. They were pretty quick to recover from a significant loss of capacity.

And not everyone agrees that the 777 is what QF need.

Air NZ helps explain why the 777 isn't right for Qantas - Wings Down Under

 

[Timba-Jet]

Yes, the 787 delays had most likely hurt QF in some way, but are we perhaps over thinking the impact?

There is fuel efficiency costs.
But has there been any routes where QF has not been able to fly or lost customers because they are still flying the old 767 birds. Dom, it's not like DJ have wide body planes for SYD-MEL-BNE routes.

Is the main impact is delaying the expansion of JQ int. ???

 

[codash1099]

Looks like further delays may be in the wind:

Boeing halts 787 line for a month

 

[Nigelinoz]

Yep,just when I thought the delays to the 787 were finally over Boeing halts the line for a month,it won't affect the delivery of the first
one to ANA but for "down the line' customers like QF it's yet another delay,of course I would prefer that Boeing delivers a product that
is the best it can be but it's just another delay in the long run of 787 delays.
Cheers
N'oz

 

[gumpy]

I really don't like QF in relation to the choice of planes... 787 will most likely have more teething issues than the A380... Surely QF should be using something a bit more tried and tested as the backbone of their long haul operations.

Really wish the had about 10-15 777's floating around.

 

[mannej]

I really don't like QF in relation to the choice of planes... 787 will most likely have more teething issues than the A380... Surely QF should be using something a bit more tried and tested as the backbone of their long haul operations.

Really wish the had about 10-15 777's floating around.

Why more teething issues than the A380?


Sent from my iPhone using Aust Freq Fly app

 

[serfty]

Why more teething issues than the A380? ...

The new Boeing 787 structure including the wings and fuselage is composed largely of composites.

At the very minimum the 787 is the largest aircraft ever built using 50%+ composite material.

There are sure to be some teething problems. (e.g. Wing root cracks in the composite during stress testing set the program back a year or more.)

 

[djfuzz]

I'm not so sure about the lack of a contingency plan. They were pretty quick to recover from a significant loss of capacity.

And not everyone agrees that the 777 is what QF need.

Air NZ helps explain why the 777 isn't right for Qantas - Wings Down Under

There seem to be two assumptions underpinning that article that I wouldn't mind hearing others' views on.

First, he states that the 777 is 'too much aircraft' for non-keystone routes to Asia etc and that other airlines are favouring A330s instead. How is this so? Wouldn't the 777 provide a more flexible option for handling those single stop routes (if they continue to exist) as well as stepping in where 744/A380s capacity is down (eg during the QF32 aftermath), which the A330 can't do? SQ and EK seem to have embraced the 777 for such purposes, and CX is not far behind.

Second, he states that the 787 will be a better option than the A330 - while I don't question that this is true in the long term, given all the delays (and the lag between the first 787s being delivered to Jetstar and them eventually making their way to QF) shouldn't they be running a significantly larger A330 short and medium haul operation right now rather than running the 767s and 744s into the ground for years to come?

Curious to know why so much seems to be riding on this one aircraft, as I'm sure I've made a number of convenient assumptions there myself.

 

[Paul_PER]

Hmmm I think people may be a bit harsh on Qantas management.

In 2000 they ordered 12 A380's, 13 A330's, and 6 747-400ER's. In 2005 they first ordered the 787.

They were one of the launch customers for the A380. I suspect they ordered the A330's because they got a great "package" price and also to give the then all-Boeing Qantas staff Airbus experience. They were the launch customer for the 747-400ER (and as history has panned out the only operator).

EIS for the 777-300ER was 2004. EIS for the 777-200LR was 2006, i.e. neither was flying when the 2000 orders were placed and the 777-300ER had only just entered service when the 787 was ordered (for what was expected first deliveries in the 2008/09 timeframe).

I don't see it as being realistic that in a period of about a decade an airline the size of Qantas to introduce so many aircraft types in commercially viable numbers.

I suppose you could criticise them for not ordering the 777-200, 777-200ER, and/or 777-300 pre-2000 but then I don't think these versions were nearly as impressive as the current versions.

(... and that all said, yes I'd love to be able to fly a Qantas 777 .... )