How much more bad news can Boeing
Earlier this week, we learned that China's C919 airplane -- the "737 killer" -- is starting to gain traction with plane buyers. Boeing rival Comac has already managed to book 100 orders for the new plane; mainly captive-audience Chinese airlines, granted, but the plane has also won orders from the aircraft leasing arm at General Electric
That fire may have been more serious than feared. According to a report just out from Morgan Stanley, initial reports of the fire are beginning to suggest a need to revamp the 787's software and electrical systems from the ground up. This is "bigger than a simple, single component failure," said Morgan Stanley. If a redesign is required, it could take as long as a year to complete, delaying deliveries to long-suffering customers like United Continental
Yes, a whole year. If you were hoping this problem would blow over quickly (as I was), that Boeing would open up the power panel and find some crispy critter in there, fried after gnawing through the insulation on some wiring -- no such luck.
And yes, it could conceivably take a year to fix. Consider, for example, the problem Ford
So if you've been viewing the recent weakness at Boeing, and at key 787 suppliers like Precision Castparts