Patrick M. Shanahan, Boeing’s head of the 787 program, announced on Tuesday its plan to stick to the 2009 dead-line and deliver the 109 Dreamliners as promised. In a press conference, Boeing representatives said that the 6 months delay caused by supply-chain problems has been solved and the delivery of the first 787 will begin as soon as November or December 2008.

The confidence and optimistic tone of Boeing’s officials could be the result of replacing in October 2007 the head of the 787 program Michael B. Blair for Patrick M. Shanahan, known for its capability to handle crisis situations. “We are pleased with the progress that we are making against plans. Risks remain. But they are within normal margins, the lessons we have learned will make the program stronger in the future” said Scott E. Carson, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO.

Following a six-month delivery delay announcement in October 2006, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner program appeared to have been compromised. But since becoming head of the 787 program, Shanahan revived the project and gave it a new turn. “We have broken down the activity into logical work packages. We’re seeing significant progress week after week” said Shanahan.

In a Dec. 2007 conference call, referring to the design of the plane, Shanahan declared it “100 percent complete” and said that the first six test planes will enter the final testing stage in January 2008. Now that the program appears to be back on track, Boeing is expected to produce 6 planes a month, which doesn’t seem like an impossible task according to its representatives.

The 787 Dreamliner is a fuel-efficient aircraft, with two engines types, the General Electric GEnx and Rolls-Royce Trent 1000, an interchangeability feature of the engines, and it is made mostly of composite, which is a plastic material stronger that the titanium and lighter than the aluminum. It has a 200-300 seats capacity and promises to be the best-seller for commercial jets in the history of airplanes.