Boeing said it will again delay the first flight of its 787 Dreamliner because of problems with the installation of fasteners on the passenger plane and a just-ended machinists strike.

The Dreamliner’s “first flight is not going to be accomplished” in the fourth quarter as planned, Yvonne Leach, a Boeing spokeswoman said.

The company is assessing the program in light of the fastener problems and a 58-day machinists strike that ended Sunday and will announce a new Dreamliner launch timetable when that that process is completed, she said.

Ms Leach said company inspectors found that about 3 per cent of the fasteners used to hold together sections of the four 787 test jets in final assembly at the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington, were incorrectly installed.

Some of them were spaced too far apart and some were too close on the sections forming the fuselage, the wings, the nose and the tail, she said.

The faulty installations occurred in Boeing’s structure suppliers for the program, both in the US and overseas, she said.

Boeing had planned to deliver 100 Dreamliners by the end of 2009.

The 787 is Boeing's first newly designed jet since airlines started flying its 777 in 1995 and nearly 800 orders have been placed for the aircraft in the past three years.

When finished, it will be the world's first large commercial aircraft made mostly of carbon fibre composites, which are lighter, more durable and less likely to corrode than the more traditional aluminium.

Boeing claims the 787 will be cheaper to run and offer better fuel efficiency than rival jets.

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