BOEING NAMES NEW HEAD OF COMMERCIAL AIRPLANES

       Boeing yesterday named a new head of its troubled commerical aviation division, plagued by the muchdelayed 787 Dreamliner programme.
       Boeing said Jim Albaugh, head of the company's defence unit, would succeed Scott Carson today at the helm of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
       Albaught, 59, is president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defence Systems.
       Carson, 63, who has been president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes since 2006, will retire at the end of the year, the US aerospace giant said in a statement.
       "Jim is seasoned and effectiveaerospace executive with substantial experience leading and integrating technically complex businesses and programmes from initial development throught full production and delivery," Boeing chairman, president and chief executive Jim McNerney said.
       McNerney said that Carson had chosen to announce his retirement at this time after Boeing last week unveiled a new schedule for the fuel-efficient 787's first test flight and first delivery. "We've set a new course," he added.
       The management shuffle came after Boeing announced on Thursday its 787 Dreamliner aeroplane will be delivered to Japanese launch customer all Noppon airways in late 2010.
       Boeing launched the Dramliner programme in April 2004 and initialy had planned to deliver the first faircraft to ANA in the first half of 2008.
       Boeing said the new schedule reflected a previously announced need to reinforce an area within the side - of- body section of the aircraft and an additional several weeks needed to reduce flight test and certification risk.
       ANA and Australia's Qantas, another 787 customer, both expressed frustration at the latest delay in a calendar that has been pushed back five times.
       The highly anticipated long-haul 787 aircraft is seen as key to the US aerospace giant's future.
       Boeing is facing stiff competition in the aviation market from Airbus.
       Airbus is working on a new longrange A350 plane aimed at competing with the Dreamliner and exepcted to fly in mid-2013.
       In response to a question about a Boeing board of directors meeting last week, McNerney said that those discussions were confidential.
       He added: "It's no secret that we've had challenges historically and we've got to make sure we deliver."