爱华网Chinese airlines to get first 787 Dreamliners this month
From：http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2013-05/16/content_16502886.htmSeveral Boeing 787 Dreamliners will arrive at Chinese airlinesbefore June, as Boeing Co resumes deliveries of the jetliners,Boeing China's president said on Wednesday.
"The delivery of 787s is on track, and several Dreamliners willbe delivered to China this quarter," Marc Allensaid.
The process of the Dreamliner's airworthiness certification inChina is in its phase-out period now, headded.
China Southern Airlines Co Ltd and Hainan Airlines Co Ltd willbe the first Chinese customers to get 787 Dreamliners, hesaid.
China Southern Airlines said that its first 787 Dreamliner willarrive by the end of May and the carrier will get eight of its 10orders this year, Yangcheng Evening News, a Guangzhou localnewspaper, reported on Tuesday.
Boeing refused to comment on the report, but Allen said he isconfident that the first batch of Dreamliners will be delivered toChina before June.
Four Chinese airlines ordered 41 Dreamliners by the end of 2012,and 58 customers globally are currently waiting for more than 800Dreamliners.
Boeing plans to improve its production rate from the currentseven a month to 10 by the end of 2013.
Meanwhile, Boeing delivered a Dreamliner to All Nippon AirwaysCo Ltd on Tuesday, the first delivery since the aircraft's problemswith its lithium-ion batteries were resolved.
All 50 flying Dreamliners were grounded in January after twoincidents on Japanese jetliners in which a battery overheated. AJapan Airlines Dreamliner caught fire while parked at Boston'sLogan International Airport on Jan 7. About a week later, an AllNippon Airways jetliner flying over Japan had to make an emergencylanding after smoke was detected in an electricalsystem.
Two airlines are already flying their Dreamliners again now thatthe US jetliner maker has fixed the problem. Other airlines usingDreamliners already have the aircraft scheduled to fly again, Allensaid.
United Airlines Inc, which uses six Dreamliners, plan to fly theaircraft again on Monday and will use the Dreamliner onitsShanghai-LosAngeles route beginning on Aug 3.
"Our customers in the Shanghai market have demanded Boeing 787Dreamliners, which provide a more comfortable flying experience,"said James Mueller, the United Airlines' Atlantic and Pacific salesvice-president.
The Dreamliner, with a small cabin but long range, is moresuitable for point-to-point routes, he said, as airlines arelooking for more business opportunities in China's smallercities.
Meanwhile, Chinese airlines also want to expand theirinternational market share with the Dreamliner, which has a maximumrange of 16,000 km.
Hainan Airlines, which ordered 10 Dreamliners, plans to use theaircraft on its new China-US route.
"The Dreamliner will be used in ourBeijing-to-Chicago route,which will be launched in September," said Wang Yingming, presidentof Hainan Airlines Co Ltd.
Wang said the carrier also plans to use the new aircraft on itsother two routes between Beijing andNorthAmerica.
The airlines' demands on international expansion make Boeingfocus on selling the aircraft with 250 to 350 seats in China,including Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft.
"We expect in the next 20 years, there will be 700 aircraft soldin that category in China," Allen said.
Airbus SAS, Boeing's main rival, is working on its A350 XWBjetliners, which are meant to compete withDreamliner.
TheEuropeanairplane builder also forecast that China will have more than 1,000aircraft with 250 to 350 seats in the next 20 years, said FabriceBregier, president andCEOofAirbus.
The A350 XWB, which has 630 confirmed orders worldwide,including 10 orders fromAirChinaCo Ltd, will make its first flight inJune or July, he added.
