Boeing Co. temporarily stopped deliveries of its 787 Dreamliners as directed by the Federal Aviation Administration, pending an additional analysis on a fuselage component, reports said.
The FAA stated that the company cannot resume deliveries of the plane, which was halted earlier too to a series of manufacturing flaws until the agency is satisfied that the issue has been addressed. However, the aerospace and defense major will continue its production, and the company doesn’t expect the issue to require additional work on the 787s.
Boeing noted that the near-term deliveries will be impacted, but it does not anticipate a change to production and delivery outlook for the year.
Boeing said, “In reviewing certification records, Boeing discovered an analysis error by our supplier related to the 787 forward pressure bulkhead. We notified the FAA and have paused 787 deliveries while we completed the required analysis and documentation.”
The company added that there is no immediate flight safety concern for the in-service fleet and that it will continue to follow the lead of the FAA.
Boeing previously had faced serious issues related to its 787 Dreamliners over certain manufacturing defects.
In 2020, the company had stopped the deliveries of the wide-body planes, which are often used for long-haul international routes, for nearly five months after acknowledging problems with incorrect spacing in some parts of the 787 aircraft, including the fuselage.
In May 2021, the company again had to halt the deliveries of the plane after the FAA found issues with the manufacturer’s method for evaluating the aircraft.
However, Boeing in August 2022 delivered its first 787 Dreamliner since its 2021 delivery pause, to American Airlines. The airline in late 2021 had announced its plans to cut down on the number of its international flights during the busy summer period due to long delays in the delivery of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners.
Following a long pause, United Airlines ordered 100 787 Dreamliners in December last year, with the option to buy 100 more, to replace some of its older planes. The planes were slated to be delivered between 2024 and 2032.
For Boeing, the 787 Dreamliners are an important source of cash, and the bulk of an aircraft’s price is paid upon delivery. In early 2022, Boeing had said that the production defects and a drop in output during the delivery hold would come to the tune of $5.5 billion.
Following the news, Boeing shares were losing around 3% in the pre-market activity on the NYSE.
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