Boeing is quietly telling airline customers and suppliers that it now expects to resume deliveries of its 787 Dreamliners in the second half of this year. While it’s ultimately up to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to clear the way for deliveries to restart, inside sources say Boeing is confident that will happen later this year.
A Reuters report is citing “three people familiar with the matter” who say Boeing expects the deliveries to restart this year, with one of those sources saying a third-quarter restart date was “realistic.”
Boeing had hoped to restart Dreamliner deliveries before then. Earlier this year, as part of its aviation news coverage, Simple Flying reported that Boeing planned to start delivering two Dreamliners a month from this month, building to four by the end of the year and seven deliveries a month by the end of 2023.
Problems during the 787 production process (pictured) have sparked FAA concerns and delivery delays. Photo: Boeing
Dreamliner delivery delays cause dramas for Boeing
But all that hung on the FAA green lighting any planned restart date – which they haven’t done so far. The US aviation agency has been reviewing Dreamliner production flaws. In February, the FAA banned Boeing from self-certifying the Dreamliner, saying they would perform final inspections on the 787 Dreamliners themselves. Deliveries of Boeing’s Dreamliners stopped in May 2021 after the FAA raised concerns about Boeing’s proposed inspection method, and after they issued several airworthiness directives to address production issues for Dreamliners already delivered.
Boeing has more than 100 Dreamliners already made that the FAA is carefully inspecting. The delays are a big problem for Boeing. Not only is it damaging Boeing’s reputation, but it is also costing Boeing a lot of money. The plane builder has previously confirmed a US$4.5 billion charge across Q4 2021 in relation to the delivery delays. They’ve also said the low production rates and rework resulting from the 787 manufacturing flaws and required inspections and repairs will likely cost them a further $1 billion in abnormal costs.
Also causing Boeing problems is a risk-averse FAA. Both Boeing and the FAA were badly burned by the flawed 737 MAX certification process that was unmasked in an investigation following the two catastrophic MAX crashes. The FAA doesn’t want a repeat of that, and that’s slowing progress regarding the 787 inspections and sign-offs.
Boeing has around 100 Dreamliners already built it needs to deliver. Photo: Boeing
Can we rely on another proposed delivery restart date from Boeing?
Another Boeing problem is its failure to meet pre-announced delivery restart dates, which undermines its credibility. Boeing has since stopped publicly setting delivery restart dates. But it seems unable to stop leaks like todays. However, after so many failed restart dates, even Reuters’ sources warn that Boeing’s timelines cannot be relied upon.
“As we’ve said, we are taking the time needed to ensure conformance to our exacting specifications,” says Boeing, while the FAA advises safety dictates the restart timelines.
Meanwhile, even if Boeing can resume Dreamliner deliveries to its long-suffering airline customers later this year, getting the various parts and supplies required to North Charleston in South Carolina where the 787 is built is another challenge. The 787 has more than two million parts, many of which come from suppliers located around the globe. But ongoing snarls in global supply chains mean some suppliers may face problems getting their components to South Carolina at the required time.
The Dreamliner is a rather nifty name for a plane. But for Boeing’s executives, the 787 dream is definitely not going well right now.
Source: Reuters
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