The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved Boeing to resume deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner widebody as soon as next week, as reported today by Reuters. Last month, the US manufacturer had to halt deliveries after finding an issue related to the fuselage components.

Resuming deliveries

In a statement, the FAA said on Friday that Boeing had addressed the FAA’s concerns and the agency would resume issuing airworthiness certificates next week.

The FAA stopped 787 deliveries on February 23 after Boeing found a data analysis error related to the jet’s forward pressure bulkhead while reviewing the certification records.

Despite halting the deliveries, Boeing assured that there was no immediate safety of flight concern for the in-service fleet and that it was in contact with customers and would continue to follow the lead of the FAA. Additionally, the plane maker said it didn’t anticipate a change in its production and delivery outlooks for the year due to the pause.

After delivering 31 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in 2022 (of which 22 came in the final quarter alone), the US manufacturer is expected to have a delivery target of 70 to 80 Dreamliners. For most of last year, Boeing had no authorization to deliver new 787s after the FAA discovered gaps around the forward pressure bulkhead in May 2021.

As reported by Reuters, Boeing said it had completed the necessary analysis to confirm the aircraft meets requirements. The 787 Dreamliner family will not require further production or fleet action to meet FAA standards, the company added.

“The FAA will determine when 787 ticketing and deliveries resume, and we are working with our customers on the delivery timing.”

Prior 787 issues

In 2021, Boeing halted deliveries of the Dreamliner family after the FAA raised concerns about its proposed inspection method. Additionally, the agency found manufacturing flaws in some jetliners.

It took more than a year for Boeing and the FAA to work together towards resuming the deliveries. In July 2022, the FAA approved Boeing’s plan for specific inspections to verify each airplane met requirements. Plus, all retrofit work had been completed by that time.

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Since that happened, Boeing has been delivering about five widebodies per month, slowly working down on the inventory.

Nonetheless, Boeing began 2023 at a slow rate. In January, the company delivered only three Dreamliners and none in February. The company needs to deliver at a rate of 7.2 aircraft per month currently to reach its mark of 70 yearly deliveries.

Orders and deliveries of the 787 family

The Dreamliner family has been wildly successful for Boeing despite multiple setbacks along the way. According to Boeing’s order & deliveries database, the company has 575 unfilled orders for the 787 model, the second largest, only behind the 4,271 unfilled orders of the narrowbody 737 family.

United Airlines currently has the largest unfilled order with Boeing, expecting 100 B787 Dreamliners in the next few years. Other key customers include Emirates (an order for 30 Boeing 787-9s), American Airlines (25 B787-9s), Etihad Airways (21 787-10s and 11 787-9s), and Lufthansa (29 B787-9s). The German flag carrier recently ordered seven Boeing 787-9s.

What do you think about Boeing resuming the deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Reuters

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  Boeing

  Stock Code:

  BA

  Date Founded:

  1916-07-15

  CEO:

  Dave Calhoun

  Headquarters Location:

  Chicago, USA

  Key Product Lines:

  Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787

  Business Type:

  Planemaker