Boeing 787s tested in Montana, Iceland

Boeing Co. says four of its five 787 flight test planes were far from their Seattle base last week at locations ranging from Arizona to Iceland.

One 787 was conducting cold-weather and crosswind testing at Keflavik, Iceland, while the first 787 to fly — ZA001 — was in Roswell, N.M., to test performance when the plane has to abort a takeoff.

A third 787 was in Yuma, Arizona, for hot-weather tests and the fourth was off to Glascow, Mont., to check how it performs when artificial ice shapes are attached to its wings and tail. The fifth plane continues to work out of Seattle.

After more than two years of delays, Boeing hopes to deliver the first of the new airliners to customers early next year. So far, the test fleet has completed more than 540 flights.