Photo Gallery Dreamliner Delays
Boeing wanted to revolutionize the airplane business with its Dreamliner, which was to be built using a modular approach. This 2007 photo shows the production line in Boeing's factory in Everett, Washington.
But the US company learned the hard way that outsourcing comes at a cost, when it was plagued by production problems. Boeing CEO Jim McNerney recently admitted the production schedule for the 787 may have been "overly ambitious."
Now delivery of the jet is way behind schedule, and the delays could cost the firm billions. Here, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner conducts a test flight on March 20.
Despite the problems, the 787 continues to sell well, with 843 orders already clocked up.
A Dreamliner takes off from Boeing Field in Seattle during testing.
Boeing's website says the 787 "will use 20 percent less fuel for comparable missions than today's similarly sized airplane."
The firm hopes the type will finally enter service later in 2011.
A crowd gathers to watch the 787 put through its paces at Paine Field in Everett, Washington state.
The Dreamliner program has been beset by problems. Here, emergency services in Laredo, Texas attend a 787 in the colors of launch customer All Nippon Airways which made an emergency landing in November 2010 after smoke was detected in the cabin.
The success of the Dreamliner is crucial to Boeing. The company has shown off its newest airplane around the world, including here in Paris.
A man walks past a model of a Boeing 787 at an aerospace exhibition in Hong Kong on March 8.
The 787 is not the only new model on Boeing's books, however. The 747-8, a stretched version of the classic Jumbo Jet, is also scheduled for launch later this year. The freighter version, seen here, will enter service first.
