Overweight Dreamliners Slash Price By Half

Now there may be hope for them as two buyers have come forward keen to buy the cut price jets.

The abandoned and half-completed aircraft have been labelled the ‘terrible teens’ after being relegated during the early stages of production after numerous structural and weight issues.

Problems arose after Boeing fast-tracked production before the Dreamliner was certified airworthy. As a result the teens, which were among the earliest designs to be built, were made too heavy to fly as far as manufacturers had hoped.

Although Boeing has never divulged the weight difference for the teens compared to catalogue models, once they are finished their range is estimated to be 6,850km, 1,850km less than later 787-8 Dreamliner models.

COST CUTTING

But their rock bottom price tag is finally attracting buyers, with Air Austral and Ethiopian Airlines said to be in talks to buy the lot in attempts to cut costs amid soaring fuel prices.

Two of the jets have been ordered by Air Austral, a French airline with its headquarters at Roland Garros Airport in Sainte-Marie on the island of Réunion.

Eight more of the heavy Dreamliners look set to go to Ethiopian Airlines which is said to be in 'advanced discussions' to buy them.

African airline is currently weighing up the addition of many different jets to its fleet including the latest version of the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A350.

The Boeing 787 ran more than three years behind schedule for problems with carbon-fibre, on-board systems and manufacturing processes to be ironed out.

It finally launched to great fanfare in 2011, three years after the so-called jetlag-busting was supposed to go into service.

Airlines that use the jet, which is lightweight, making it more fuel-efficient for long-haul flights, include British Airways, Thomson, United, Etihad and All Nippon.

By Tom Omulo.

Source: Daily Mail.