McDonnell Douglas Reports MD-11 Certification Delayed

McDonnell Douglas disclosed Tuesday that certification of its new MD-11 jetliner, originally scheduled for May, 1990, will be delayed by three months, a sign of deepening problems at the firm’s Douglas Aircraft unit in Long Beach.

The announcement follows by weeks a disclosure that the firm has fallen further behind schedule on deliveries of its MD-80 jetliners.

The firm has also fallen four months behind schedule on its Air Force C-17 cargo jet program.

Douglas had announced plans when it launched the MD-11 program in December, 1986, for a first flight of the aircraft in May, 1989, and certification by the Federal Aviation Administration one year later.

Douglas spokesman Don Hanson said late Tuesday night that it is not yet known whether the certification delays would upset the entire delivery schedule of the new jumbo jet. The company said only that “possible impact beyond 1990 is being evaluated.�

So far, the firm has taken orders for 92 MD-11s and taken options for another 171 aircraft. If all those aircraft are affected, Douglas could have a difficult time catching up.

Major customers include American Airlines, which has orders or options for 50 of the MD-11s and Delta Air Lines with orders or options on 40 of the aircraft.

“It is going to be pretty important for the carriers, and it is pretty important to us,� Hanson said in a telephone interview. “That’s one reason we decided to bite the bullet and announce this now so that the carriers could make appropriate plans.�

About 40,000 Employees

A Douglas announcement said the delays result from four factors: rapid employment growth, late deliveries by suppliers, a variety of configurations of the aircraft and development changes in the first aircraft.

Since the early 1980s, Douglas’ employment has grown to about 40,000 workers today at its plants in Long Beach and Torrance from about 12,000 workers in the early 1980s. Such rapid buildups in the aerospace industry often lead to serious scheduling problems.