Boeing announced on Tuesday that it could be forced to slow deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner due to a new production flaw that will require it to inspect all 90 jets in its inventory. The problem involves a fitting for the 787's horizontal stabilizer installed by a Boeing production facility in Salt Lake City, Utah, which allows a plane to maintain longitudinal balance while flying.
Boeing will need to inspect all 90 Dreamliners in its inventory before they can be delivered and expects it will take two weeks to fix each aircraft. The issue does not affect in-service 787s, but the company could not say how far back the issue stretches or whether Dreamliners currently operated by airlines will need a fix. Boeing has increased 787 production from three to four jets a month, but the issue has not caused a halt in 787 production.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has validated Boeing's assessment that there is no immediate safety issue for 787s already in service, but it will not issue any new airworthiness certificates until the matter is addressed to its satisfaction. Boeing has notified customers that rework would affect the timing of near-term 787 deliveries but added that it believed it could still deliver 70 to 80 Dreamliners this year.
The latest 787 production defect comes as Boeing grapples with a 737 bracket installation issue disclosed in April, which slowed deliveries of the cash-generating family of narrowbody jets. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun called the problem a "gnarly defect" that was nearly impossible for workers to visibly assess.