Is Boeing Set to Resume Dreamliner Deliveries?

[In The News]

DALLAS – Reports have surfaced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has informed Boeing that it would approve the company’s procedures for validating fixes to each plane before they are delivered to airline customers.

This is according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke anonymously via Aviation Week and later reported by the Associated Press. The decision has not yet been made public by Boeing or the FAA.

Boeing would benefit from approval to resume deliveries because it receives a sizable portion of the purchase price of each plane at delivery. About 120 Dreamliner orders from Boeing have not yet been delivered.

Depending on size, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner lists for US$248m to US$338M, although airlines typically spend much less than that.

Boeing N789EX 787-9 Dreamliner. Photo: Brandon Farris/Airways

Dreamliner Woes

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The aircraft has been beset by a number of production challenges since late 2020. Small gaps were discovered between carbon composite panels of the fuselage that year, which was when problems with the Boeing 787 first surfaced. Inspections were initiated as a result, and they uncovered issues with a pressurization bulkhead at the front of the aircraft.

Following the discovery that an Italian Boeing supplier had utilized alloys that did not comply with FAA regulations, the company also had to replace titanium components, including fasteners.

American Airlines N804AN Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. Photo: Andrew Henderson/Airways

The Dreamliner Backlog

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The length of time it will take Boeing to deliver all 120 backlog 787s, which were produced in South Carolina and Washington state factories, is unknown. The FAA will need to approve each one.

American Airlines (AA) chief financial officer, Derek Kerr, stated last week on a conference call to discuss quarterly earnings that the carrier anticipates receiving its first two 787s “in early August” but won’t be adding them to the schedule until November.

If the reports are true, the American aerospace company will have overcome a significant regulatory hurdle to get its new Dreamliners into the hands of its customers.

We’ve reached out to Boeing for comments and will do a follow-up post regarding the delivery resumption of the 787.

This is a developing story.

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Featured image: The Boeing 787 is Boeing’s newest long-haul aircraft. Photo: Brandon Farris/Airways

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