Boeing is facing problems in the short term in staging the maiden flight of its 787 Dreamliner, but the US group’s new family of long-range, medium-capacity jets already marks a watershed for the aerospace industry.
It is changing the rules for the design of big jets with the large-scale move from metal to composites, and while Airbus is struggling to catch up, the European group is having to follow down a similar road with its competing A350 family, due to enter service in 2013.
