With just two months to go before rollout, the first Boeing 787 assemblies are beginning to arrive at Everett, Wash., already fitted with internal equipment and ready to be "snapped together" to create the first of the mid-sized transports. The aircraft will not be a prototype, but a production unit that will be delivered to a customer after test flying and will, Boeing says, fully meet the contract specification.

A slowdown in Asian airfreight growth during the past year seems unlikely to shift the longer trend in which the region increasingly dominates the global industry. The rise of the Chinese economy is propelling the region's airfreight in many ways--and none of those fundamental drivers looks likely to change anytime soon.

Boeing's 787 suppliers in Japan are "basically" on track, the U.S. company says as the first parts for the first aircraft are due to arrive in Seattle. A media tour of Boeing's three big Japanese partners on Monday revealed no hint of a significant hold-up on the 787. Boeing executives have repeatedly assured airlines the 787 will meet its production timetable.