It was by examining the certification files that Boeing discovered that one of its suppliers had made an analysis error on the pressurization bulkhead at the front of the aircraft, explains the American manufacturer in a press release.
The group took the decision to suspend deliveries while redoing the analysis and the related documents. “Deliveries will not resume until the FAA is satisfied that the problem has been resolved,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a message sent to AFP.
The FAA says it is working with Boeing “to determine what actions may be necessary for recently delivered aircraft.”
“No danger” for devices in use
The aircraft manufacturer ensures for its part that there is no “immediate danger” for the 787 in service and that the last problem detected “should not increase” the modifications already planned on the aircraft produced.
The 787 Dreamliner has indeed faced several pitfalls in recent years. Manufacturing defects were discovered at the end of summer 2020. The device being examined closely, other problems then appeared.
Deliveries suspended twice
Boeing had to suspend deliveries, from November 2020 to March 2021 initially, then between May 2021 and August 2022. It had also reduced production rates.
With deliveries resuming last summer, Boeing was able to deliver 31 aircraft in 2022, including 22 in the fourth quarter. And in December, United Airlines announced plans to order 100 787 aircraft while optioning an additional 100.
Big economic stakes for Boeing
After the two fatal accidents of the 737 MAX and the ban on the flight of the aircraft for twenty months, the massive slowdown in air traffic with the pandemic, and finally the production problems on the 787, Boeing is counting on the deliveries of this aircraft to recover financially.
Available in three versions of different lengths, the Boeing 787 is currently the world’s best-selling long-haul aircraft, ahead of the Airbus A350. More than 1,000 devices have left the factories since it went into service in 2011, and nearly 600 orders have not yet been delivered.
The group’s share fell 3% in electronic trading after the announcement.
afp/oang