Qantas Airways Ltd. said on Nov. 6 that it is expecting further unspecified delays to the delivery of the new Boeing Co. 787 aircraft, with the first of 65 planes it has ordered not expected to be delivered until the middle of 2010.

A spokesman for the airline said Qantas is still awaiting contact from the airplane maker over the scope of the latest delays, after machinists at Boeing's Seattle factory returned to work on Nov. 3 following a 57-day strike.

"We are expecting further delays, but have had no formal contact from Boeing," said the spokesman for Qantas, who noted that delays may be exacerbated by further production problems reported at Boeing.

Bruce Buchanan, the Chief Executive of Qantas' budget carrier Jetstar, which is due to use the first 15 aircraft received by the group for its proposed southern European operations, has said the first aircraft isn't expected until April 2010, around 20 months later than originally scheduled.