The black series continues for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The aircraft manufacturer has announced that it will have to review the 90 long-haul aircraft it has in stock due to a production problem that affects the horizontal stabilizers and more specifically a fixing hardware.
“We are inspecting all 787s in our inventory for a non-compliance condition related to a horizontal stabilizer adjustment,” Boeing said in a statement. And specify that these inspections should last 15 days per device.
Which somewhat lengthens the delivery times of this aircraft to the airlines, while the difficulties in the parts supply chain are already weighing down these deadlines for the entire industry, including Airbus.
An “assigned” delivery time
“The necessary inspections and modifications will affect the short-term delivery schedule of the 787,” confirms Boeing, which, however, does not plan to reduce its annual delivery targets (from 70 to 80 aircraft).
Enough to calm the irritation of its clients such as Saudia and Riyadh Air, which last March ordered 39 units of the 787 Dreamliner each and put options on 43 additional planes.
In December 2022, United Airlines announced plans to order 100 787 aircraft and opt for an additional 100.
However, the aircraft manufacturer wants to be reassuring and stresses that the defect “does not pose an immediate flight safety problem.” Translation, aircraft already delivered can continue to fly.
Still, this is another production problem for the plane. The manufacturing defects were first discovered in the late summer of 2020 in the connection of a part of the fuselage and in the horizontal stabilizer.
Problems since 2020
Boeing then announced that it had discovered another defect in the plane’s nose, forcing the company to suspend deliveries and reduce production rates. What causes 6,300 million dollars of “abnormal costs” for the industrialist.
In early 2023, Boeing will once again suspend deliveries of this aircraft to analyze an airframe element more closely, after Boeing discovered an analysis error by one of its suppliers in the pressurization bulkhead at the front. Of the device.
While companies around the world are now in a frenzy to buy new planes, this new problem in the Dreamliner family could favor competitor Airbus. However, the European is also having great difficulties in meeting its delivery targets.
Source: BFM TV
