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Air New Zealand says it has not been advised to expect any further delays to its Dreamliner aircraft as a result of a strike by 27,000 workers at Boeing.
The airline this year began compensation talks with Boeing for a two-year delay to the delivery of eight 787-9 aircraft. Yesterday a spokesman said: "We have had no advice from Boeing to suggest the strike will have any impact on our deliveries."
The first of its 787s for which it is paying $1.68 billion is now likely to arrive in about 2012. Four 777-300ER aircraft on order from Boeing are due to be delivered in 2010 and 2011 as part of a revamp of the long-haul fleet that will see fuel savings of up to 20 per cent by some planes.
Some US analysts worry a lengthy work stoppage could overshadow any advantage by threatening Boeing's goal of a 787 test flight before the end of the year.
Scott Hamilton, an analyst with Leeham Cos, said the longer the strike went, the bigger the ripple effect was going to be, and the more Boeing customers were going to be unhappy.
The effect on suppliers who make most of the 787's parts will depend on the strike's duration, analysts say. Some may start to feel economic repercussions if the strike drags on for more than 30 days, while the introduction of the 787 - delayed three times already - could be pushed back further.
Paul Nisbet, an analyst with JSA Research, believed the strike could last as long as 30 to 60 days. That would delay schedules for all Boeing's planes, but particularly the 787, he said. The last two strikes by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers at Boeing's commercial aircraft operations near Seattle lasted 24 days in 2005 and 69 days in 1995.
The machinists union says it has a US$140 million ($209 million) strike fund and could sustain support for striking workers for five or six months, But the strike could give breathing space to 787 subcontractors.
In a note to investors, analyst Howard Rubel of Jefferies & Co. wrote: "Subcontractors that have been behind on the 787 should be able to continue to work through their bottlenecks and to some degree aircraft that are not in Seattle should become more ready to be shipped than before."
