Mr Al Baker was also dismissive of the Bombardier C-Series planes
Posted on 11/29/2010 6:32:17 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Boeing Dreamliner 'a failure', says Qatar Airways boss
The chief executive of Qatar Airways has criticised Boeing over delays to the 787 Dreamliner, reportedly saying that it has "clearly failed".
Akbar Al Baker said he had been "taken aback" by the problems that have plagued the delivery of the aircraft, the Reuters news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Boeing has announced it is revising its schedule after a fire on a test flight earlier this month.
It had hoped to begin delivering the plane at the start of next year.
'Foreign debris'
Production of 787s is about three years behind schedule, with delays mainly a result of the supply and fitting of parts.
A test flight had to be aborted on 9 November after a fire broke out on board. Boeing has blamed a piece of "foreign debris" in a power panel.
Qatar Airways has ordered a minimum of 30 Dreamliners, with the first due to be delivered in the last quarter of next year.
Speaking at a news conference in Paris, Mr Al Baker said he had not expected such delays from Boeing, because the US-based company had "pride in its quality".
"They have very clearly failed," he added.
He added that Qatar Airways was considering buying more Airbus A380s on top of the five already ordered from Boeing's arch-rival.
Mr Al Baker was also critical of Bombardier of Canada, which has been trying to break Boeing's and Airbus' stranglehold of the airliner production business.
He said Qatar Airways had been forced to cancel a planned order for the company's C-Series planes in July over concerns about their engines.
"If they do not roll up their sleeves pretty fast then the [new Airbus A320] NEO will eclipse
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Mr Al Baker was also dismissive of the Bombardier C-Series planes
Have you seen the commemorative stamps “Qatar, leader in aviation technology?”
....you never will.
The Air Force should look at this information when considering the bids on the new Refueling Tanker.
Qatar Air is a great airlines, one of the top five in the world.
They are without a doubt, the only way to fly from Europe to the Philippines.
I have made the trip twice from Vienna.
One can fly from most any large city in Europe, direct to Cebu, with only a plane change in Doha.
For about 20 bucks, you can get into the first class lounge in Doha, and get all you can drink and eat, as well as WiFi, while you wait for the continuation on to Cebu.
Since all new aircraft are designed on computers, how could they have problems fitting parts?
Al Baker is maneuvering for a discount.
This is standard procedure by airlines in order to extract even further concessions on top of what they have already likely received.
Qatar is an Airbus investor.
Al Bakar has done a good job with Qatar Airways, I have to admit, but his assessment of the 787 is way off the mark. I think he is spreading FUD to enhance the value of their HUGE A350 order.
Hmmmm...I don’t seem to recall any stories about Dreamliner engines blowing up in flight.
Build different pieces of the aircraft all over the world. That idea has been a failure.
The Airbus competitor for the 787 is NOT the A380, it is the A350. Qatar Airways has ordered 80 of them
Each aircraft is a showcase for their respective companies, even though they are for very different markets. I think when all is said and done, the 787 will be the far more successful aircraft, though both have had major development problems.
"mainly a result of the supply and fitting of parts"
The management fad known as outsourcing is responsible.
The conceit is that they think they can manage a global supply chain, and not have to do the dirty work of designing and making their own parts. The "virtual company".
But it's a mirage, and just an excuse to not do any real value added work.
And this is the result: crap that breaks, the suppliers control your schedule, and incompatibilities that take forever to fix.
When they start building their own equipment again, and keep people who can do that, this won't happen.
Until then, it'll just be the slow road to oblivion.
Although I fly business class, I normally take a few walk-arounds during the flight and found economy to be nice as well. Service, on-board entertainment and food have always been good.
Absolutely right. A company that outsources its core functions - and I think that one could safely call building fuselages a traditional “core function” at Boeing - is cutting its throat.
The panels are hand laid, basically. At each joint, they must transfer stress to the next joint. Each is made with just the right amount of fiber and plastic. If they don’t fit you can’t just whip out a grinder and grind away.
It’s figured out already, technically. It is just that there there is an artisan/learning curb that subcontractors have to work at.
Not yet.
Boeing delays 787 Dreamliner again after test engine breaks apart
BBC headline seems very misleading. Baker certainly did not say that the 787 itself is a failure.
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