“LONDON—Boeing Co. BA -1.07% on Friday said it had warned customers that near-term deliveries of 787 Dreamliners are at risk of delays as the Chicago jet maker continued to work with regulators to identify the cause of battery problems that have grounded its fleet world-wide.
European carriers Thomson Airways, part of U.K. leisure group TUI TravelTT.LN +1.11% PLC, and Norwegian Air Shuttle NAS.OS -1.28% ASA both said they are working on contingency plans after Boeing told them that deliveries of the jetliner could be delayed.
Thomson, due to take delivery of its first Dreamliner at the end of February, said that the delivery had been postponed and no new date had yet been scheduled. Norwegian, which has ordered a total of eight 787s, and was expecting its first in April, said it hasn’t received a new delivery date from Boeing nor a written confirmation of a possible delay.
The delays in 787 deliveries come as U.S. investigators said Thursday that short-circuits inside a battery triggered a fire aboard a parked Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner last month. The investigators also found the safety-approval process for the power devices was flawed and “must be reconsidered” before the jets return to passenger service.
The consequences of the battery problems are now spreading to those airlines yet to take delivery of the new Boeing plane.
“We have informed our customers expecting 787 deliveries in the near term that those aircraft either have been or are at risk of being delayed,” Boeing said.
“We are staying in close communication with our customers as we work towards an approved means of compliance with the FAA Airworthiness Directive and develop a plan for resumption of 787 deliveries,” the company said in a statement.
Boeing declined to give details of its delivery schedules….”
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