Aviation360 MEA

The Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) said on Thursday that Boeing Co. has temporarily paused deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft until the American aircraft manufacturer conducts additional investigation on a fuselage component.

Deliveries won’t resume until the FAA is satisfied that the issue is resolved, according to the agency.

The FAA said it was collaborating with Boeing to assess any necessary actions for newly delivered aircraft.

While checking certification records, Boeing said it “found a mistake in our supplier’s examination of the 787 forward pressure bulkhead. While we finish the requisite investigation and documentation, we have suspended 787 deliveries and informed the FAA.”

Boeing has paused deliveries, according to Spirit AeroSystems, which provides the forward pressure bulkhead for the 787 aircraft.

The business issued a statement saying, “Based on the facts we currently have and our conversations with Boeing thus far, we believe it is too early to assert there was a ‘analysis error’ by Spirit.

According to Boeing, the issue was found just a week ago.

“There is no immediate safety or flight concern for the in-service fleet,” Boeing said. “While near-term deliveries will be impacted, at this time we do not anticipate a change to our production and delivery outlook for the year.”

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that due to a documentation problem, Boeing had not handed over a Dreamliner since January 26 either from the assembly line or among the dozens of aircraft held in storage for delivery.

Following the disclosure, Boeing shares dropped 2.6% in after-hours trade after closing up just over 1%.

The FAA accepted the planemaker’s inspection and modification plan in August, allowing the delivery of the first 787 since May 2021. Boeing said last month that it anticipates delivering between 70 and 80 787s this year, up from the 31 787s it delivered in 2022.”But we still see 70 to 80 in the cards,” West said.

Boeing had halted deliveries in 2021 after the FAA raised concerns about its proposed inspection method. In September 2020, the FAA said it was investigating manufacturing flaws in some 787 jetliners.