AirInsight has these two podcasts about the grand labor deal announced Wednesday between Boeing and the IAM.
The chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes Wednesday hinted at increasing production rates of the 787 beyond the committed 10 per month to 12 a month.
Jim Albaugh, speaking at the Credit Suisse Aerospace conference, reiterated plans to meet the oft-stated target of assembling 10 787s per month by the end of 2013.
“The 787 has been a tough program. Everybody knows that,” he said, citing the variety of difficulties the program has experienced. “All those were difficult tasks. We have more ahead of us. We have to get up to rate. [Plan] Z24 still has us going to 10 a month by the end of 2013. My view is that if we can get to 10 we can get to 11 [and] if we can get to 11 we can get to 12.”
The recently issued Z24 obtained by Flight Pro shows a sharp decline in planned production over Z23.
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
| Z23 |
61 |
95 |
120 |
| Z24 |
45 |
66 |
119 |
“We held the rate at two for quite a while and we had a couple of pauses as you know,” Albaugh told Flight Pro after his presentation. “Z24 does move some things to the right, but we still get to 10 a month at the same time, which is the end of 2013.”
Albaugh said the plan is to get to a production rate of five per month by the end of 2012. Rate bumps won’t happen before officials are convinced rates are stabilized.
The production rate does not reflect delivery rates, however. Boeing has more than two dozen aircraft produced but parked at its Everett (WA) assembly plant awaiting rework. Albaugh declined to specify the delivery rate for 2012, however.
“I know precisely [how many deliveries there will be] but I am not going to tell you. When we come out with our guidance for 2012 we give you some clarity on that,” he said.
Albaugh said Boeing’s Charleston facility “has demonstrated they can go beyond 2 ½ a month,” and he suggested the plant’s first 787 may be ready for delivery ahead of the planned June schedule.
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