Boeing halts deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner again

The US company is working to obtain regulatory approval for its plan to resolve quality issues

Boeing is providing the Federal Aviation Administration with added analysis and documentation related to proposed fixes with undelivered 787 planes. Courtesy: Boeing

Boeing halted deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner again, as the planemaker works to obtain regulatory approval for its plan to resolve quality issues.

The company is providing the Federal Aviation Administration with added analysis and documentation related to proposed fixes with undelivered planes, Boeing said Friday in an emailed statement.

Boeing is working with the FAA “in a transparent and timely manner,” it said. “There is no impact on the in-service fleet.”

The latest setback follows a five-month halt to deliveries that ended in March, related to manufacturing imperfections in the 787’s carbon-fiber shell. Since then, the company has been in discussions with regulators over how to proceed with repairs to remaining undelivered planes.

Boeing said in late April that it had about 100 of the twin-aisle aircraft in inventory and expected to clear most of those by year-end. At the time, chief executive Dave Calhoun said he expected to deliver about a dozen of the aircraft per month. That schedule could be at risk the longer the talks with the FAA drag on.

Regulators have sought more information on fixes Boeing has proposed for the issues, a person familiar with the matter said. The issues that led to the latest halt aren’t new, and don’t affect flight safety, the person said.

Boeing has struggled to get past a series of missteps that have led to heightened regulatory scrutiny on the company. This week, the company agreed to pay at least $17 million to settle US enforcement cases about the installation of unapproved equipment on hundreds of 737 single-aisle jets.

Boeing shares slipped 1.1 per cent in premarket US trading from Thursday’s closing price of $250.70. The stock is up 17 per cent this year, on rising optimism for a recovery in aviation as vaccination rates rise across the globe.