US approves Boeing inspection and rework plan to resume 787 deliveries

Boeing has had production problems with its 787 planes for more than two years. In September 2020, the FAA said it was “investigating manufacturing defects” in some 787 jetliners.

In the year After two fatal 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019, the FAA pledged to closely scrutinize Boeing and impose less liability on Boeing’s planes.

Boeing has stopped shipping 787 planes after the FAA raised concerns about its inspection methods. The FAA previously issued two airworthiness directives to address production issues for aircraft in service and identified a new issue in July 2021.

Boeing Chief Financial Officer Brian West said on an investor call this week that 120 of the 787s are in inventory and “is making progress in completing the necessary rework to prepare for delivery.” “Boeing is producing at a very low cost and we will continue to gradually return to 5 aircraft per month until deliveries resume,” Boeing said.

The planemaker resumed deliveries in March 2021 after a five-month hiatus before suspending it again. Friday’s approval came after lengthy discussions with the FAA.

The regulator said Boeing “has a robust plan for the rework it needs to do on the new 787s in storage” and wants to ensure “Boeing’s delivery processes remain stable.”

The FAA said it would retain authority to issue an airworthiness certificate in February until it is confident “Boeing’s quality control and manufacturing processes will consistently produce 787s that meet FAA design requirements.”

Steve Dixon, the agency’s current administrator, told Reuters in February that the FAA required Boeing to “systematically adjust their manufacturing processes.”

Boeing in January announced $3.5 billion in payments for 787 delivery delays and customer discounts, and another $1 billion in extraordinary manufacturing costs from manufacturing defects and related repairs and inspections.