Boeing gets FAA clearance to restart 787 Dreamliner delivery
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A Norse Atlantic Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft parked at Oslo (Gardermoen) Airport in Norway, on March 4, 2022.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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ARLINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - Boeing has received preliminary US regulatory clearance to restart deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft, paving the way for the end to a drought that drained cash and dented the planemaker's reputation for quality.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved Boeing's plans to inspect and repair tiny manufacturing flaws in the Dreamliner's carbon-composite frame, two people familiar with the plan said late Friday (July 29).
The jet manufacturer had largely halted deliveries since late 2020, as its engineers found improperly filled gaps in about 20 locations.
The FAA agreement is a milestone for the company, but it won't immediately resume sales. Boeing must still make required fixes and get FAA inspectors to approve each aircraft.
While the timing of the delivery resumptions remains unclear, the company is aiming to begin in the week of Aug 8.
A total of 120 Dreamliner jets, which retail for as much as US$338 million (S$467 million), had been constructed but were parked and waiting for the FAA's approval to resume sales to customers such as American Airlines, according to Boeing.
"We will continue to work transparently with the FAA and our customers towards resuming 787 deliveries," Boeing said in an e-mailed statement.
The resumption of shipments will mark a financial turnaround for Boeing after years of operational lapses that have frustrated customers, suppliers and investors.
It is also a potential catalyst for Boeing shares, since the Arlington, Virginia-based company will start to unlock nearly US$10 billion in cash tied up in Dreamliners stashed around its factories and in desert storage, according to Mr Rob Spingarn, an analyst with Melius Research.
The chief problem for the 787 had been how the plane's carbon-fibre fuselage sections were joined, which did not meet Boeing's design specifications but was not deemed to be a safety hazard.
The company's plan to resume sales also includes addressing how the planemaker constructed the so-called forward pressure bulkhead, the structure near the nose that maintains pressurised atmosphere, and other issues that had arisen during the past year.
