Oman Air will decide whether to keep or cancel an order for six 787 Dreamliners once Boeing’s revolutionary new jet plane has carried out its delayed maiden flight, the airline’s chief executive said.

The airline, which took over as Oman’s flag carrier after splitting away from Bahrain-based Gulf Air in 2007, indirectly has six planes worth up to $1.2 billion at list prices on order through a deal with Kuwaiti aviation leasing firm firm Alafco.

Boeing has said it expects to fly the lightweight fuel-saving plane by the end of 2009 after two years of delays. “I think we will take a decision once it has flown. Let’s see when it flies,” Chief Executive Peter Hill told news agency Reuters in an interview.

Hill, an industry veteran who helped to launch the region’s biggest airline, Dubai-based Emirates, and joined state-owned Oman Air a year ago, said Boeing was losing credibility over the delays and criticised it for keeping customers in the dark.

“There have to be concerns about Boeing’s ability to deliver that aircraft as it was originally designed. My predecessors bought it on the basis of a whole load of performance guarantees and delivery dates. So far Boeing haven’t demonstrated that the confidence we put in it is going to be met in the near future.”

Delivery of Oman Air’s 787s has been pushed back to 2014 from 2012. It is separately taking delivery of Airbus A330s and opening routes to London, Paris, Munich and Frankfurt.

Industry reports have raised questions over the 787’s weight, reliability and fuel economics, Hill said, adding some wonder how easy it will be to repair its carbon-based airframe.

“Boeing are playing it very close to their chest. It doesn’t help for great dialogue between customers and the company and that is a criticism,” Hill said. “We are not being kept informed enough on what’s really going on. That begs the question, do they really know how to solve some of these issues?”

Boeing Chief Executive Jim McNerney said this month the planemaker had a “lot of confidence” in its latest 787 schedule.

Source: business.maktoob.com