Federal regulators on Friday paved the way for Boeing to resume delivery of the 787 Dreamliner, but was suspended more than a year ago due to quality concerns.
Boeing submitted a plan to the Federal Aviation Administration to inspect and repair these issues this spring. The plan was approved on Friday as a major milestone leading up to the delivery of the plane. Approved by the agency to share the news. The FAA inspects the jet before it is handed over to a Boeing customer.
The Dreamliner is a twin-isle plane commonly used on long international flights and is an important part of Boeing’s fleet. It’s also more fuel efficient than older wide-body aircraft, which makes it attractive to airlines.
Delayed delivery has hit both Boeing and its customers. In January, Boeing estimated the cost of performing repairs and compensating customers for delays at approximately $ 3.5 billion. Earlier this year, American Airlines said the freeze on deliveries had forced it to disconnect some international routes it was planning to fly this summer.
Quality concerns included finding and filling paper-thin gaps in airplane fuselage, replacing certain titanium parts made of the wrong material, and other fixes.
Boeing has already begun inspecting and repairing the inventory of about 120 Dreamliners, but it wasn’t immediately clear how soon the company would be able to reship the planes to its customers. Earlier this month, American executives said they would begin receiving some of the Dreamliner orders in early August.
Boeing had already announced earlier this week that delivery was nearing resumption. Brian West, Boeing’s Chief Financial Officer, said in a call with investor analysts and reporters, “We are preparing the plane with our clients and have completed the flight check of the first plane. I did. “
A FAA spokeswoman declined to comment on this decision. In a short statement, Boeing said it would “continue to work transparently” with the agency and its customers to resume delivery.
Boeing said this week it aims to return to production of five Dreamliners a month, instead of the 14 that it assembled each month before the pandemic.
