Boeing delays delivery of 747-8 Intercontinental

Reuters: Boeing Co has pushed back the first delivery of the passenger version of its new 747-8 to the first quarter of 2012 from the fourth quarter of this year.

“First delivery is now scheduled for first quarter 2012 due to a delay in flight testing and the time required to incorporate all flight test driven changes,” Boeing said in a regulatory filing last week along with its third-quarter earnings results.

The first customer for the 747-8 Intercontinental is an unidentified VIP customer. The first airline set to receive plane is Deutsche Lufthansa AG, which has ordered 20.

The world’s second-largest plane-maker disclosed the delay for the 747-8 Intercontinental along with news that the next version of its 787 Dreamliner, the 787-9, has been pushed to early 2014 from late 2013.

“The slide out of the Intercontinental delivery date is not that much of a surprise,” said Alex Hamilton, Managing Director of EarlyBirdCapital.

The freighter version of the 747-8 was first delivered earlier this month, capping a development delay of about two years. The 787, a lightweight carbon-composite widebody, was first delivered in September after a three-year delay.