Here is the new problem holding back the Boeing 787
Still production problems for Boeing: the US aircraft manufacturer has identified a new defect in its long-range 787 Dreamliner jet, whose carbon fiber fuselage is produced in the Leonardo plant in Grottaglie. All the details
Boeing will delay deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner due to a defect in a component on the long-range aircraft.
The US aircraft maker said yesterday that it is currently investigating a number of aircraft that have not yet been delivered to customers. “We are inspecting the 787s in our inventory for a noncompliant condition related to a fitting on the horizontal stabilizer. Airplanes found in non-compliant condition will be repaired prior to delivery,” Boeing said in a statement.
The aviation giant added that the issues were "not an immediate flight safety issue and the in-service fleet may continue to operate" and said the issue likely won't change its full-year delivery target.
While the new production hiccup is not a flight safety concern, it follows a month-long 787 delivery disruption that was resolved in March and adds yet another delay for Boeing as the US aircraft maker struggles to rework the planes before they can be delivered to customers.
Just last week Boeing announced that it had increased the production of the 787 from three to four jets per month, which is also positive news for the Italian Leonardo: the Grottaglie site produces the carbon fiber fuselage sections of the Boeing 787. Now the American company has specified that the new problem has not caused a stop in the production of the 787.
However, the delays come just as airlines are desperate for new aircraft to capitalize on the travel boom, notes CNBC .
All the details
NEW DEFECT FOR THE BOEING 787 DREAMLINER
Boeing said Tuesday it may be forced to slow deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner after the company uncovers a new manufacturing flaw that will require it to inspect all 90 jets in its inventory, the latest in a series of jokes. stop for the widebody aircraft.
The issue involves a 787 horizontal stabilizer fitting installed by a Boeing manufacturing facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. The horizontal stabilizer, located at the base of an aircraft's tail, allows an aircraft to maintain longitudinal balance during flight.
THE AIRCRAFT INVOLVED
The problem doesn't immediately affect in-service 787s, Boeing said, but the company couldn't say how far the problem extends or whether the Dreamliners currently operated by the airlines will need a fix.
THE FAA'S POSITION
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it validated Boeing's assessment that there were no immediate safety concerns for the 787s already in service.
The agency, however, said it will not issue any new certificates of airworthiness for the 787 until the matter has been satisfactorily addressed. The FAA typically delegates that authority to the manufacturer. But in some cases, like the 737 MAX and 787, he retained responsibility for approving each new airplane, Reuters said.
PRODUCTION PROBLEMS FOR THE AMERICAN GIANT
The problem is the latest in a series of manufacturing problems on Boeing aircraft that have slowed, if not halted, deliveries of some planes.
After production problems observed for more than two years on its 787 that led it to suspend deliveries several times, Boeing was accelerating the ramp-up of its long-haul aircraft.
Not forgetting that last April Boeing announced the suspension of deliveries for the 737 Max aircraft (its best-selling aircraft) due to a problem with a component supplied by Spirit AeroSystems that will result in a production delay for a “significant number ” of aircraft Max.
IMPACTS ON DELIVERIES
Boeing will now have to inspect all 90 Dreamliners in its inventory before they can be delivered and expects it will take two weeks to repair each plane, the company added.
The company says this new flaw does not affect the Dreamliner's delivery prospects for the full year. Boeing has estimated that it will deliver between 70 and 80 airplanes this year.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/ecco-il-nuovo-problema-che-frena-il-boeing-787/ on Wed, 07 Jun 2023 11:10:46 +0000.