Boeing has shuffled a number of its senior executives which some commentators claim will help it to deal with another delay to the delivery of the first 747-8 Freighter.
Under the changes, current vice president of aircraft programs Pat Shanahan will give greater focus to the 747-8F, overseeing the flight test, certification and delivery of the first aircraft. Current 747 vice president and general manager Mo Yahyavi will take on an unspecified special assignment, while 767 vice president and general manager Elizabeth Lund will work with Shanahan as 747-8 deputy program manager. That will see current head of 777 manufacturing Kim Pastega take over as 767 vice president while Jason Clark, who is current head of 747-8 interiors, takes on Pastega’s former role.
The management reshuffle comes as many reports indicate that Boeing is likely to announce a further delivery delay to the 747-8. Despite four aircraft now flying in various stages of flight testing, inboard aileron and structural flutter issues have forced Boeing to modify some of the design of the aircraft, which is understood to be pushing the delivery date for the first aircraft from late 2010 into the first quarter of 2011.
