Boeing 787 Dreamliner: Jinxed?

The main events on the Dreamliner’s saga are listed below. We have used public sources for this sequence – there could be major omissions. Please let know if you find any.

What can we learn from this sequence of events? Some may say that the project was too ambitious. Others that Boeing used too many new and untested technologies, new suppliers and partners. Still others might point to the inflexibility introduced due to initial decisions. Of course, one could also say that Boeing weighed three outcomes, stop, proceed and fail, and proceed and succeed. What other main factors could have contributed to this sequence of events?

No.	Date	Event
1	April 26, 2004	Boeing Launches 7E7 Dreamliner
2	September 11, 2005	Boeing 787: Parts from around world will be swiftly integrated
3	November 20, 2006	The Dream of Composites
4	December 06, 2006	Boeing chief: 787 still on schedule
5	July 08, 2007	Boeing unveils 787 Dreamliner; Airbus sends congrats
6	July 08, 2007	Boeing Celebrates the Premiere of the 787 Dreamliner
7	September 10, 2007	Boeing 787 first flight suffers two-month delay
8	January 16, 2008	Boeing Shifts Schedule for 787 First Flight
9	February 15, 2008	Final Assembly Begins on Another Boeing 787 Dreamliner
10	April 09, 2008	Boeing Revises 787 First Flight and Delivery Plans
11	November 05, 2008	Boeing finds problems with fasteners on 787 test planes
12	December 4, 2008	Boeing reviews Dreamliner schedule for more delays
13	December 11, 2008	Boeing confirms 787 first flight pushed back to 2Q 2009
14	February 08, 2009	FAA to loosen fuel-tank safety rules, benefiting Boeing’s 787
15	March 09, 2009	Concerns raised over expected 787 range shortfall
16	May 03, 2009	Boeing 787 Dreamliner Moves to Flight Line for Testing
17	May 07, 2009	Boeing confirms 787 weight issues
18	June 23, 2009	Boeing Postpones 787 First flight
19	June 26, 2009	More Boeing 787 Woes as Qantas Drops Order
20	July 30, 2009	Boeing 787 wing flaw extends inside plane
21	August 28, 2009	Boeing still sure delayed 787 will be profitable
22	December 08, 2009	787 approaches final gauntlet testing
23	December 12, 2009	Boeing completes 787 Dreamliner high-speed taxi test
24	December 15, 2009	Boeing 787 Dreamliner lifts off on maiden flight
25	December 22, 2009	Second Boeing 787 Dreamliner Completes First Flight
26	March 24, 2010	Boeing completes 787 flutter and ground effects testing
27	March 28, 2010	Boeing completes ultimate-load wing test in 787
28	March 30, 2010	Boeing’s Dreamliner Lags Testing Schedule
29	April 07, 2010	Boeing confirms success on 787 wing, Fuselage Ultimate Load Test
30	April 23, 2010	Boeing 787 in hot/cold testing in Florida
31	June 25, 2010	Horizontal stabiliser gaps force 787 inspections and reduced flight envelope
32	August 11, 2010	Boeing faces claim on 787 delays; sixth flight test aircraft won’t fly until September
33	August 27, 2010	Boeing delays delivery of 787 aircraft until next year
34	August 28, 2010	Lack of production engine for Airplane Nine drives 787 delay
35	September 3, 2010	787 flight test fleet to expand
36	October 04, 2010	Sixth Boeing 787 first flight, Testing Program Making good progress
37	October 25, 2010	Boeing considers moving 787-9 tail build in-house
38	November 05, 2010	Boeing faces prospect of further 787 delay
39	November 9, 2010	Electrical fire forces emergency landing of 787 test plane
40	November 15, 2010	787 electrical fire raises prospect of further delay
41	November 23, 2010	Boeing 787 Fire Sparked by Stray Tool in Equipment Bay, La Tribune Reports
42	December 23, 2010	Boeing Resumes 787 Flight Testing
43	August 15, 2011	Certification flight testing complete, the 787 fleet is still busy
44	September 25, 2011	Boeing formally delivers first 787 to All Nippon Airways (ANA)
45	October 26, 2011	Dreamliner carries its first passengers and Boeing’s hopes
46	October 26, 2011	Boeing’s Dreamliner completes first commercial flight
47	July 29, 2012	Safety officials looking into Boeing Dreamliner after fire
48	September 15, 2012	NTSB urges grounding for certain GEnx-powered 787 and 747-8s
49	November 25, 2012	Dreamliner glitch: Air India (AI) summons Boeing team
50	December 25, 2012	Problems with new 787 Dreamliner continue to plague Boeing
51	January 08, 2013	Fire discovered on Boeing Dreamliner minutes after flight lands
52	January 09, 2013	Another Japan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner encounters a problem
53	January 11, 2013	Boeing Dreamliner to undergo federal safety review
54	January 13, 2013	Japan Airlines reports fuel leak in beleaguered Boeing Dreamliner
55	January 16, 2013	Japanese airlines ground Dreamliners after emergency landing
56	January 16, 2013	787 emergency landing: Japan grounds entire Boeing Dreamliner fleet
57	January 17, 2013	Dreamliner: Boeing 787 planes grounded on safety fears
58	January 17, 2013	Boeing Dreamliners grounded worldwide on battery checks
59	January 17, 2013	Boeing 787 Dreamliner: The impact of safety concerns
60	January 17, 2013	Is the Dreamliner Becoming a Financial Nightmare for Boeing?
61	January 18, 2013	Dreamliner crisis: Boeing halts 787 jet deliveries
62	January 22, 2013	Boeing 787: Dreamliner Groundings Continue As Battery Problem Persists
63	January 22, 2013	FAA steps up investigation of Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Note: Each of the event titles have been taken verbatim from the original articles.