Boeing slows 787 output after new snags

Boeing (BOE, Chicago O’Hare) has confirmed it now expects to deliver fewer than half of the B787 Dreamliners in inventory this year after again having to fix manufacturing issues in undelivered B787s which will slow down the production rate.

“As Boeing has previously shared, the company has been engaged in detailed discussions with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) on verification methodology for 787 fuselages, and conducting associated inspections and rework. In connection with these efforts, the company has identified additional rework that will be required on undelivered 787s,” the company said in a statement but did not elaborate which faults had been discovered.

“Based on our assessment of the time required to complete this work, Boeing is reprioritising production resources for a few weeks to support the inspection and rework. As that work is performed, the 787 production rate will temporarily be lower than five per month and will gradually return to that rate. Boeing now expects to deliver fewer than half of the 787s currently in inventory this year,” the company added.

“We will continue to take the necessary time to ensure Boeing airplanes meet the highest quality prior to delivery. Across the enterprise, our teams remain focused on safety and integrity as we drive stability, first-time quality, and productivity in our operations,” it stated.

According to Boeing’s latest production update, it has delivered fourteen B787s to date this year, of which twelve were delivered in the second quarter. The company has 483 unfilled orders of B787-8s, B787-9s, and B787-10s, including thirty-nine B787-8s, 318 B787-9s, and 126 B787-10s, according to its order and deliveries book dated June 30, 2021.

The FAA, in a statement shared with ch-aviation, had flagged “manufacturing quality issues near the nose on certain B787 Dreamliners in the company’s inventory of undelivered airplanes. This issue was discovered as part of the ongoing system-wide inspection of Boeing’s 787 shimming processes required by the FAA”.

The FAA added that “although the issue poses no immediate threat to flight safety, Boeing has committed to fix these airplanes before resuming deliveries.” After a review of data, the FAA would “determine whether similar modifications should be made on 787s already in commercial service”.

Boeing suspended deliveries of the B787 in late May after the FAA raised concerns about its proposed inspection method, saying it was “waiting for additional data from Boeing before determining whether the company’s solution meets safety regulations”. The FAA in May had issued two airworthiness directives to address production issues for in-service B787s. Boeing had only resumed deliveries of the B787 in March 2021.

The FAA said in September it was investigating manufacturing flaws involving some B787s. Boeing said in August airlines operating its B787s had removed eight jets from service as a result of two distinct manufacturing issues.

In September, Boeing said some B787s had shims that were not the proper size, and some aircraft had areas that did not meet skin-flatness specifications. In February, Reuters reported Boeing was beginning painstaking repairs and forensic inspections to fix structural integrity flaws embedded deep inside at least 88 parked B787s.

The FAA has been critical of some Boeing safety practices in recent years and imposed a USD6.6 million fine on Boeing in February for failing to comply with a 2015 safety agreement.

The regulator grounded the B737 MAX for nearly two years following two fatal crashes and only after it added significant safeguards to a key system.

As reported, the FAA told Boeing in May its planned B777-9 was not yet ready for certification and warned it “realistically” would not do so until 2023.