Chinese 787s Delayed

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China has still not certified the Boeing 787 and it’s delaying delivery of aircraft to Chinese airlines. According to Reuters the Chinese government says the approval process is going “smoothly” but at least one airline has had its delivery date pushed back. China Southern Airlines was supposed to get the first of 10 Dreamliners in 2012 and Hainan Airlines was expecting five planes last year. Chinese airlines have ordered a total of 35 Dreamliners and there’s a tentative deal for another six.

Reuters says China has become increasingly aggressive in asserting its own certification standards on foreign aircraft in recent years. The 787 has been certified in most of the rest of the world for more than a year. Boeing said it’s working with the Chinese to get the certification done and Chinese officials say they’re getting it done. “The timing of the issue of the certificate will very much depend on the degree of cooperation of Boeing and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Currently the process is progressing smoothly,” a Civil Aviation Administration of China spokesman wrote in an email to Reuters. The 787 has had a few hiccups in the early days of its entry into service, including a battery fire aboard a Japan Airlines aircraft in Boston this week.

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