Aircraft manufacturer Boeing said it is going to have to push back the delivery dates of its first 787 Dreamliners because of further delays in flight testing. Boeing has already delayed delivery by two years due to a variety of problems. All Nippon Airways in Japan was due to be the first airline to receive the 787 before the end of the year; however the first of the new generation aircraft will now not be delivered before spring 2011.

The 787 Dreamliner was Boeing’s star attraction at this year’s Farnborough Air Show. It is supposed to be faster and lighter than other passenger jets in its class and, according to Boeing, it is designed to be more fuel efficient therefore emitting less CO2.

A spokeswoman for All Nippon Airways said it was disappointing to hear of more delays, especially as flight tests had been looking positive. Boeing claims the latest delay is due to a Rolls Royce engine required for tests being unavailable. Rolls Royce said it was currently working with Boeing to confirm delivery dates of its Trent 2000 engines so that they coincided with test requirements.

Currently no comment has been made as to whether the delays for All Nippon will be experienced by other airlines which have the Dreamliner on order.

Earlier this year, Qantas announced that it was bringing forward the delivery of its first 787s. The Australian flag carrier said it was looking forward to receiving 50 of the passenger jets in the middle of 2012.