787 on schedule for summer flight, company says

SEATTLE — Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner is on track for its first flight this summer and first delivery next year as the manufacturer nears 500 total orders for jet, the company said Monday.

Large sections of the long-range, mid-sized 787 are arriving at Boeing's assembly plant in Everett, and Boeing has sent engineers to help subcontractors work through wrinkles in the production process, 787 program chief Mike Bair said.

"A lot of people are working very, very hard around the world to make sure this airplane gets to the market on time," Bair told analysts and reporters Monday.

The 787 is scheduled to make its first flight around late August, and enter commercial service in 2008.

The jet has been a big hit with Boeing's customers, and is a major factor in the company's resurgence in the race with European rival Airbus.

Airbus' marquee new jet, the A380 superjumbo, made its first flight to North America on Monday. But Airbus' A350 widebody — a competitor to the 787 — is about five years behind in the design process.

Boeing has collected at least 475 orders for the 787, which is designed to burn 20 percent less fuel than comparable airplanes by using more lightweight composites.

Bair said Boeing has been surprised by the increasing number of orders for the plane, which is presently sold out well into —. He hinted at more orders for the jet from large carriers, but did not name specific customers.

"We've seen no sense of anything slowing down in the marketplace. In fact, if anything it might be getting a little bit more frenzied," Bair said.