Thursday, December 17, 2009

DTN News: Airlines News TODAY December 18, 2009 ~ Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Not Ordering Dreamliner Aircraft

DTN News: Airlines News TODAY December 18, 2009 ~ Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Not Ordering Dreamliner Aircraft *Malaysia Airlines (MAS) does not see a fit in the delivery schedule for now
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) PETALING JAYA, Malaysia - December 18, 2009: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will not place any orders for the B787 Dreamliner as it does not see a fit in the delivery schedule for now even though the B787 uses 20% less fuel than existing aircraft. Delayed for two years, the 250-seater B787 is the first commercial plane to be built with a plastic fuselage and an all-electric system. It completed its maiden flight on Tuesday, thereby instilling confidence in the airlines that have placed orders for this aircraft. This is Boeing’s first model after a decade. Employees cheer as a Boeing 787 Dreamliner takes off for its first test flight from Paine Field in Everett, Washington on Tuesday - AP Boeing has 840 firm orders valued at US$140bil from global carriers for the B787. Its first customer is All Nippon Airways Co, which has 27 orders for the 787-8 and 28 orders for the 787-3. In an e-mail response to StarBiz queries, MAS chief financial officer Mohd Azha Abdul Jalil said “there are many orders for the Dreamliner and any orders placed today will only see delivery in 2020.” “We are currently planning to refresh our wide-body aircraft but we don’t see a fit between our current fleet plans and the delivery dates of the Dreamliner. “As such, at this point, there are no plans to place orders for the Dreamliner,’’ he added. MAS will be taking delivery of the first of the 35 B737-800 from October next year. AirAsia Bhd has opted for the Airbus and is phasing out the Boeing. It was reported that about 50% of the B787 is made of lightweight composite materials, with large sections produced by suppliers worldwide and assembled by Boeing at Everett, Washington. Boeing claims the plane will be quieter, produce lower emissions and use 20% less fuel than comparable aircraft, while 250 passengers will enjoy a more comfortable cabin with better air quality and larger windows. It was reported earlier that parts of the flight control systems for this aircraft may be built in Penang by Honeywell Aerospace but none of the Malaysian aircraft parts suppliers will be supplying parts, at least for now. The aircraft model most similar to the Dreamliner is said to be A350XWB, which is slated to be launched in 2013.

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