PARIS, Sept 15 (Reuters) - French aerospace supplier Latecoere trimmed its 2009 sales guidance on Tuesday, citing a new delay in Boeing 787 Dreamliner programme.
Latecoere now expects a 25 percent drop in full-year sales on a like-for-like basis, compared to a previous target for a 20 percent fall, the company said in a statement after posting a 14.1 percent rise in half-year net profit to 9.7 million euros.
The date of the first test flight of the lighter, more fuel-efficient 787 aircraft, has been put off repeatedly because of production problems and a labour strike, hurting Boeing's credibility as it grapples with the commercial aerospace slump.
The test flight is now expected by the end of the year.
Wiring problems had also delayed by two years the delivery of the superjumbo Airbus A380. Airbus is another key client of Toulouse-based Latecoere.
Latecoere said its order book stood at 2.275 billion euros at the end of June, representing more than four years of sales.
(Reporting by Marie Maitre; editing by Elaine Hardcastle)