Boeing removes exec in charge of delayed 747-8 freighter

One day after announcing yet another delay for its 787 Dreamliner, Boeing has removed Mohammad "Mo" Yahyavi as head of its troubled 747-8 program in Everett.

Aviation industry experts have blamed management for delays in both programs.

Yahyavi was put on an unspecified special assignment, and airplane programs vice president Pat Shanahan assumes greater oversight of the 747 program, he told workers in an e-mail sent Friday afternoon.

The 747-8 is a stretch version of Boeing's iconic humped jumbo jet. First will come a freighter version, then one for passengers seating 467 people which will go up against Airbus' 525-seat A380.

Like the 787, the new freighter suffers from chronic delays.

Although delivery is still scheduled for this year, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Jim Albaugh said in July that like the Dreamliner, its delivery may slip into next year.

Shanahan said at the time that problems with its design require "enhancements to the flight controls" and "some new flight tests we hadn't originally planned." He declined to say what specific problem had been identified.

Last fall, Boeing unexpectedly announced that first flight for the 747-8, which was scheduled for last November, would happen early this year instead — a year beyond its original schedule. The delay put delivery in the fourth quarter of this year.

Just six weeks before that delay was announced, Yahyavi said he expected three flight-test airplanes would be in the air by the end of 2009. He said he'd given the same forecast to the full Boeing board that same week.

First flight ended up happening in February, and four planes are currently in flight testing.

The 747-8 program was already in trouble with Yahyavi took charge in February 2009. It had recently announced an expensive, nine-month delay.

Yahyavi came from Renton, where he led the successful Poseidon program, an anti-submarine airplane for the Navy.

When Shanahan moved from Boeing's defense business in 2007, he was supposed to fix the 787 program. He was later put in charge of all airplane programs.

Other promotions follow Yahyavi's shift out of the lead 747-8 role.

Elizabeth Lund, vice president and general manager in the 767 program, becomes deputy program manager for the 747, reporting to Shanahan.

Lund will be replaced by Kim Pastega, who had been director of 777 manufacturing. She also will report to Shanahan.

Pastega will be replaced by Jason Clark, leader of the 747-8 interiors team. Reporting to Larry Loftis, Clark will oversee assembly of the 777 family, including leading it through its rate increase that's planned for next year.

Boeing stock rose $1.84 on Friday to $63.16 a share. It has traded between $47.18 and $76 over the past year.

Seattle Times staff reporter Dominic Gates contributed to this report.

Melissa Allison: 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com