TUI Travel says does not have Dreamliner delivery date

LONDON: Thomson Airways, owned by Britain's TUI Travel, said it had not been given a new delivery date from Boeing for its first 787 Dreamliner jet and that it was making contingency plans in case deliveries were delayed beyond the end of March.

"Our priority is to ensure our customers go on their holidays," it said on Friday. "We are, therefore, putting contingency plans in place including using alternative aircraft for our long-haul flights to Mexico and Florida if delivery is delayed beyond the end of March".

Authorities around the world grounded the technologically advanced 787 on Jan. 16 after a battery fire in Boston and a second incident involving a battery on a flight in Japan.

Tui Travel told Reuters on Thursday that it had no plans to cancel its order for 13 Dreamliner jets. It planned to start using the planes in May. It said on Friday it expected the delivery by the end of February.

"Boeing is doing everything it can to resolve the situation. We appreciate that there are many customers who are looking forward to flying on the Dreamliner but unfortunately these circumstances are out of our control," it said.

Earlier on Friday, Norwegian Air Shuttle said it had been notified by Boeing that its delivery schedule was at risk because of an investigation by the US National Transportation Safety Board into the aircraft.