Dreamliner's Maiden Flight Delayed

Boeing's cushy, cutting-edge Dreamliner won't make it into airlines' hands until sometime in October, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The inaugural flight of the 787was originally scheduled for late September, but unexpected delays encountered with the complex installation of the jetliner's myriad flight systems have pushed Boeing's timetable back.

Boeing engineers are hoping to deliver the first Dreamliner—which is made of lighter carbon-fiber composite for fuel efficiency and offers better air quality for passengers—by next spring. "It's aggressive. But it hangs together. We think we can do it," says Boeing's chief executive of their breakneck efforts. But many industry analysts remain skeptical of Boeing's ability to meet carrier demands in 2008 on time. (More Boeing 787 Dreamliner stories.)