After Sitting Stagnant for 6 Years, Boeing’s Overweight 787s May Have Finally Found Buyers

Ten of Boeing’s “terrible teens” Dreamliners may fly after all, as two airlines express interest in the overweight aircraft.

As many as 10 of the original overweight Boeing 787 Dreamliners could take to the skies, as two airlines are reported to be looking to add the semi-complete aircraft to their fleets. Bloomberg reports both Air Austral and Ethiopian Airlines are in talks to purchase the troubled group of early aircraft at a price lower than their original catalog value.

According to Bloomberg, four different officials at Ethiopian Airlines said that the carrier was in “advanced discussions” to purchase eight of the overweight Dreamliners. The airline has not yet publicly committed to the purchase. Air Austral confirmed its purchase of two of the heavy Dreamliners through a French public relations firm.

The orders come as Ethiopian Airlines contemplates adding as many as 20 more wide-body aircraft to its fleet. The African carrier first introduced the Dreamliner to its fleet in 2012 and was affected in the worldwide grounding of the aircraft less than a year later. AllAfrica.com reports that the airline is evaluating many different aircraft as potential additions, including the latest version of the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A350.

The 10 Dreamliners, dubbed the “terrible teens” for their problems during the assembly process, have sat stagnant and incomplete since rolling out of the Everett factory in 2009. Puget Sound Business Journal reports that under the potential deals, Boeing will finish all 10 of the aircraft as a condition of delivery. Once completed, the aircraft will have an estimated range of approximately 6,850 nautical miles, around 1,000 less than the 787-8 Dreamliner variant.

[Photo: Boeing]