Boeing, based in the United States, has overcome a key hurdle in negotiations with federal regulators. It may soon resume deliveries of its large 787 airliner, which has been suffering from a series of production problems since late 2020.
Boeing may restart deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated on Monday.
The US aviation regulator said in a statement that Boeing has implemented the required improvements to guarantee that the 787 Dreamliner passes all certification criteria.
The FAA will inspect each aircraft before issuing an airworthiness certificate and approving it for delivery. We anticipate that deliveries will resume in the next days, FAA added.
Getting approval to resume deliveries will be an incentive for Boeing, which receives a large portion of the cost of each aircraft upon delivery. The company has accumulated about 120 undelivered 787s, with a total value of more than $25 billion.
The Dreamliner is priced between $248 million and $338 million depending on size. Although airlines pay much less than the declared value.
The gaps in the fuselage of the Boeing 787 caused serious problems
Problems with the 787 began in 2020 when small gaps were found between the fuselage panels. They are made of carbon composite material. This was the reason for the inspections, during which problems were found with the bulkhead of the depressurization system in the front of the aircraft.
Boeing also had to replace titanium parts, including fasteners. This happened after it turned out that the Italian supplier used alloys that did not meet FAA standards.
The company had claimed that none of these issues raised immediate safety concerns.
It is unclear how long it will take Boeing to deliver all 120 of the delayed aircraft, which were built at factories in Washington state and South Carolina. Each of them must obtain FAA approval.
Boeing’s largest customers, like as United Airlines and American Airlines, were unable to obtain new Dreamliners when post-pandemic airline traffic increased this summer.
Boeing reported on January 26 that production problems cost the company $5.5 billion in the 787 Dreamliner programme.
American Airlines expects to receive the first two 787s “in early August.” But does not include them in the schedule until November, the airline’s chief financial officer Derek Kerr said during a discussion of quarterly earnings.
11 years Dreamline launch
On December 15, 2009, at precisely 10:27 a.m. Pacific time, the 787-8 Dreamliner took to the skies for the first time, ushering in a new age of aviation for the company.
The 787 is a game changer in design, construction, and technology since it is the first aeroplane in which composite materials comprised 50% of the primary structure. The Dreamliner can achieve 20 to 25% improved fuel economy and lower carbon emissions. In comparison to earlier aeroplanes, the 787 fuselage is a one-piece composite section, saving 1,500 aluminium sheets and 40,000 to 50,000 fasteners per section.
In 2019, Boeing said that more than 80 clients have bought more than 1,400 787s, which have transported 420 million passengers and enabled the creation of more than 250 new point-to-point routes due to huge fuel savings and lower emissions. 787 jets being constructed at a pace of 14 per month between plants in Everett, Washington, and North Charleston, South Carolina.
The twin aisle seat midsized plane has three models 787-8, 7-78-9 and 787-10 with the seating capacity of 242, 290 and 330 respectively.
