Boeing Slows 787 Dreamliner Deliveries Due to Production Flaw

Boeing has announced a slowdown in the deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner after the discovery of a new production flaw. However, the company remains optimistic that it can still deliver 70-80 of these widebody jets as planned by the end of the year.

The production flaw, which does not pose a flight safety concern, is related to a fitting for the 787’s horizontal stabilizer. The fitting was installed by a Boeing production facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. Boeing will need to inspect all 90 Dreamliners in its inventory before they can be delivered. The company estimates that it will take about two weeks to fix each aircraft.

The horizontal stabilizer, located at the base of an aircraft’s tail, is responsible for maintaining longitudinal balance during flight. Last week, Boeing discovered that the fitting included improperly sized shimming, which is a material used to fill gaps between aircraft surfaces, and it did not meet specifications. As a result, the company stopped ticketing 787s suspected to have the flaw for delivery.

Boeing clarified that the issue does not immediately affect the 787s already in service. However, it is unclear how far back the issue stretches or whether Dreamliners currently operated by airlines will require a fix.

Despite the production flaw, Boeing’s increased production rate of 787s from three to four jets per month remains unaffected. However, the announcement of the defect caused a slight decline of 0.7% in Boeing shares.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has validated Boeing’s assessment that there is no immediate safety issue for the 787s already in service. Nevertheless, the FAA stated that it will not issue any new airworthiness certificates for the 787 until the matter is resolved to its satisfaction.

Boeing has notified its customers that the rework required for the production flaw will impact the timing of near-term 787 deliveries. Despite this setback, the company believes it can still deliver the expected 70-80 Dreamliners by the end of the year.

This latest production flaw with the 787 Dreamliner is reminiscent of previous issues discovered between 2020 and 2021, which involved improperly fitted shimming that resulted in paper-thin gaps between surfaces on the aircraft’s fuselage. Boeing faced multiple delivery stoppages during that period but resumed deliveries last August after implementing an FAA-approved modification plan.

Boeing has recently faced other challenges, including a delivery slowdown caused by a bracket installation issue on its 737 family of narrowbody jets, including the popular MAX 8 model. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun described the bracket installation problem as a “gnarly defect” that was difficult to visually assess. The company has already begun delivering reworked 737s to address the issue.