Delta's 787 Order Stalls, But Boeing Still Pays Dividends

Delta has essentially told Boeing "No thanks," when it comes to the 787 Dreamliner. The airline has pushed its 787 order back a dozen years, at which time it could convert the order to other planes, as needed. The first thing that springs to mind is that Boeing really needs to double down if they're going to ship the 787 in just twelve years.

The Seattle Times also reports that Boeing is thinking about moving the tail construction of the second 787 model back in-house, the work of the Italian mechanics of Alenia not measuring up. Previously wing stress near the fuselage (wings by Mitsubishi, fuselage by Fuji) created delays, and Boeing management, perhaps smarting at not having a union to blame their failures on, seems to have taken the lesson on outsourcing.

That said, there's much more to Boeing than long-delayed commercial aircraft; the company is proudly displaying photos of its first production unmanned rotorcraft, the "Hummingbird," and the Army is going Apache III.  Meanwhile Boeing reported profits of $837 million in the third quarter of 2010, and is issuing a dividend of $0.42 per share.