Boeing Suspends 787 Dreamliner Deliveries for Further Analysis
Boeing Co. has once again suspended deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner, the company’s largest widebody program, as it conducts further analysis on a fuselage component. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said deliveries will not resume until it is satisfied that the issue has been resolved.
The FAA stated in a statement that Boeing has temporarily suspended deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner after informing the FAA that they are conducting further analysis on a fuselage component. No deliveries will take place until the FAA is content that the problem has been solved.
The analysis error was discovered in certification paperwork provided to the FAA and related to the 787 forward pressure bulkhead.[0] Boeing said there is no immediate safety of flight concern for the in-service fleet and that production continues without any expected increase in airplane rework.[1]
“While near-term deliveries will be impacted, at this time we do not anticipate a change to our production and delivery outlook for the year,” the airframer said.[2]
The latest setback follows a similar interruption in 2021 and 2022 due to poor workmanship and comes at a critical time for Boeing.[1] The company was counting on Dreamliner deliveries to recover financially after the 737 MAX debacle, the massive slowdown during the pandemic, and production problems on the 787.[3]
The manufacturer had been ramping up Dreamliner deliveries over the last six months, after pausing them for more than a year due to discrepancies with titanium parts and carbon composite materials.[4] It had delivered 31 in 2022, including 22 in the fourth quarter.
Boeing still aims to deliver 70 to 80 Dreamliners by the end of the year and said it expects no changes to its 2023 production and delivery targets for the plane.[5] However, shares of Boeing slumped 3.1 percent to $201.75 in after-hours trading following the news.[6]
0. “Why Boeing (NYSE:BA) Paused Delivery of the 787 Dreamliner?” TipRanks, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.tipranks.com/news/why-boeing-nyseba-paused-delivery-of-the-787-dreamliner
1. “Boeing again suspends delivery of the 787 Dreamliner to examine a fuselage element” Aviation24.be, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.aviation24.be/manufacturers/boeing/787-dreamliner/boeing-again-suspends-delivery-of-the-787-dreamliner-to-examine-a-fuselage-element/
2. “Boeing once again halts 787 deliveries, this time due to ‘analysis error'” Flightglobal, 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.flightglobal.com/safety/boeing-once-again-halts-787-deliveries-this-time-due-to-analysis-error/152201.article
3. “Boeing has halted deliveries of 787 Dreamliner over documentation issue” MarketWatch, 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.marketwatch.com/story/boeing-has-halted-deliveries-of-787-dreamliner-over-documentation-issue-a2cdc7c8
4. “Boeing halts Dreamliner deliveries over documentation error – Puget Sound Business Journal” Puget Sound Business Journal , 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2023/02/23/boeings-dreamliner-deliveries-face-new-delays.html
5. “Boeing Halts Dreamliner Deliveries on Fuselage Part Review” Yahoo News, 23 Feb. 2023, https://news.yahoo.com/boeing-halts-dreamliner-deliveries-fuselage-230326910.html
6. “Boeing halts deliveries of 787 again on fuselage issue” CNA, 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/boeing-halts-deliveries-787-dreamliner-us-aviation-fuselage-issue-3301091
