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Boeing has resumed flight testing of it’s vaunted 787 Dreamliner after a recent in-flight fire caused the test flights to be temporally haulted.
The Dreamliner is Boeings latest major effort to compete with arch rival Airbus. Airbus is working on the A350 XWB to compete with Boeing.
Unfortunatly, for Boeing, the Dreamliner has been plauged by production delays. The aircraft, a twin engine long range jet is a revolutionary attempt in commercial aviation. It is the first aircraft to have a fuselage made of composite materials. This enables the 787 to be lighter and more fuel efficient, and in theory more durable than aluminum based aircraft. The 787 also introduces new comfort feature such as larger interior space, mood lighting, new era seating, advanced climate control, improved entertainment systems and larger windows. All of this should add up to a much improved customer experience.
The issue at hand now is, will the Dreamliner hit production before the A350? Initiially the Dreamliner was to be in production by 2009 and at that point compete with the A330, but with all the set backs Airbus has had a chance to catch up and possible steal some of Boeings thunder.
The stakes are high and it will be interesting to witness how things will develop between the two competitors. In the end, we as paying customers should benefit by being able to fly in these new age dynamic aircraft. The “burning” issue for Boeing is can they get the Dreamliner out there in time to put them over the top?
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