The sixth and final Boeing 787 Dreamliner designated for flight test is now undergoing final assembly in Everett, Wash. The airplane, designated ZA006, will be powered with General Electric GEnx engines.

Boeing photo

Progress continues on the fleet. The first flight test airplane, ZA001, is getting its paint touched up this week before finishing factory testing. Power was brought onto the second airplane, ZA002, in late February and build verification tests are progressing well. Production work continues on ZA003, ZA004 and ZA005. In all, assemblies for 31 Dreamliners are currently in production throughout the supply chain.

Also observe the pre-painted doors in the aircraft. I wonder why? since the aircraft will in any case undergo a painting. Any answers ?

The role of the US Federal Aviation Administration in that it is both the promoter and protector of aviation in the United States, has always produced contradictory situations.

Dominic Gates of the Seattle Times is reporting that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner cannot meet the Federal Aviation Administration's current stringent standards for preventing sparks inside the fuel tank during a lightning strike, and the agency now calls those requirements "impractical" and proposes to loosen them.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has quietly decided to loosen stringent fuel-tank safety regulations written after the 1996 fuel-tank explosion that destroyed flight TWA 800 off the coast of New York state.

The FAA proposes to relax the safeguards for preventing sparks inside the fuel tank during a lightning strike, standards the agency now calls "impractical" and Boeing says its soon-to-fly 787 Dreamliner cannot meet.

Instead of requiring three independent protection measures for any feature that could cause sparking, the revised policy would allow some parts to have just one safeguard.

Download the proposed policy shift.

Read the article.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) of Japan, is planning strategies similar to their world-wide airline counterparts in these times of global recession. Suspending operations, reducing flights and switching to smaller aircraft, essentially slashing capacity to keep passenger load factors high, in an effort to keep the business going this year.

India is one of the more badly affected countries by ANA's re-alignments. It used to operate a 38 seat all business class Boeing 737-781ER Business Jet between Mumbai and Tokyo Narita thrice a week. This will come down to twice a week. ANA also has a code share arrangement with Jet Airways and transits passengers via Singapore.

Talking about the Indian operations, Kenji Sugino, Director – Sales, Administration and Marketing, ANA said

“Despite the global slowdown, India is one of the growing markets for ANA. We are positive about this year and are expecting good load factors and sales margins. We are going to play strategically in the Indian market this year.”

“We were receiving a good 60-70 per cent of passenger load on Mumbai – Narita route. Post 26/11, ANA is receiving about 30 per cent loads on Mumbai – Narita route. Now, the loads are about 50 per cent, but due to recession, it's not logical to operate flights half empty. However, the reduction of flights on Mumbai – Narita route is temporary and will be rescheduled once the market demand goes high. We are positive about this year and assume that the market will stabilise by mid-2009.”

76 seats for a population of 1.1 billion ??? In my opinion, both Japanese and Indian carriers are just handing over business to ASEAN carriers by their lack of capacity.

ANA has also rolled out strategic plans for its worldwide operations announcing it will slash nine per cent of its international service in the next fiscal year (April 2009 to March 2010). It will withdraw the Boeing 747 service on the Tokyo - Paris and Tokyo - Frankfurt routes, and will introduce smaller aircraft on the Washington route.

ANA is looking to the first quarter of 2010 when, as launch customer, it will receive its long awaited Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Unlike rival Japan Airlines (JAL) whose traditional focus is on international operations from Tokyo Narita airport, ANA has always put Tokyo Haneda and domestic business first; and it is gearing up to take full advantage of the huge business opportunity expected by the massive expansion of Haneda and Narita airports in 2010 – described by ANA President and Chief Executive, Mineo Yamamoto, as the ‘Big Bang’ for Japanese aviation, coupled with deliveries of the Dreamliner.

For now, financially, ANA expects a group net loss of JPY nine billion ($ 100.4 million), instead of a previously projected profit of JPY 17 billion. ANA also slashed its group operating profit forecast from JPY 55 billion to JPY eight billion.

Tomohiro Hidema, Executive VP of Finance, ANA stated in a media release

“Given the likelihood of the situation worsening in the foreseeable future, we are faced with an operating environment vastly different from the recent past, one that offers challenges of a much harsher nature.”

The Japanese airline industry have already asked their government for financial aid.

Read the ANA press releases detailing their business plans and their financial results.

Production of Boeing 787 Dreamliners resumed yesterday with the join of the fifth airplane designated for flight test.

This airplane, designated ZA005, is the first to be powered with General Electric GEnx engines. The major assemblies were loaded in final body join over the past several days. The fuselage and wing joins occur simultaneously.

Five of the six airplanes designated for flight test are now in varying stages of production. Power was restored earlier this week to the first flight-test airplane, ZA001, and production testing has resumed as the airplane prepares for first flight in the second quarter. Rolls-Royce engines are hung on ZA002, in the fourth and final production position in the factory. The third and fourth flight-test airplanes, ZA003 and ZA004, are in the third and second production positions, respectively.

Fastener rework is done on ZA001, nearly complete on ZA002 and progressing well on the third and fourth airplanes

Assemblies for the final flight-test airplane, ZA006, are in production at partner sites worldwide. In all, assemblies for 30 Dreamliners are in production at this time.