US agrees to Boeing inspection, rework plan to resume 787 delivery

Two people familiar with the matter told Reuters that the US Federal Aviation Administration approved Boeing’s inspection and adjustment plan on Friday to resume deliveries of 787 Dreamliners.

FAA approved Boeing

(BA)A proposal requiring specific inspections to verify that the condition of the aircraft meets the requirements and that all work has been completed, a move that should allow Boeing

(BA) The sources said deliveries would resume in August, after they were halted in May 2021.

On July 17, Boeing told reporters it was “very close” to resuming delivery of the 787.

The Federal Aviation Administration referred questions about approval to Boeing. “We do not comment on ongoing testimony,” the agency said.

Boeing did not confirm the approval on Friday but said it would “continue to work transparently with the FAA and our customers to resume delivery of the 787.”

Boeing has had production problems with the 787 for more than two years. In September 2020, the FAA said it was “investigating manufacturing defects” on about 787 aircraft.

In the wake of the two fatal 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019, the Federal Aviation Administration has pledged to closely examine Boeing and delegate fewer responsibilities to Boeing for aircraft certification.

Boeing suspended delivery of the 787 after the Federal Aviation Administration raised concerns about the proposed inspection method. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) previously issued two airworthiness directives to address production issues for in-service aircraft and identified a new issue in July 2021.

Boeing Chief Financial Officer Brian West said this week in a call to investors that it has 120 787s in stock and is “making progress in completing the rework needed to prepare them for delivery.” Boeing is “producing at very low prices and we will continue to do so until deliveries resume, gradually returning to 5 aircraft per month over time.”

The aircraft manufacturer only resumed deliveries in March 2021 after a five-month hiatus before stopping them again. Friday’s approval came after lengthy discussions with the Federal Aviation Administration.

The regulator said it wanted Boeing to ensure it had a “robust plan to re-work it must perform on a large volume of new 787s in storage” and that “Boeing’s deliveries are stable.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in February that it would retain the authority to issue airworthiness certification until it was confident that “Boeing’s “quality control and manufacturing processes consistently produce 787s that meet FAA design standards.”

The agency’s then director, Steve Dixon, told Reuters in February that the FAA needed Boeing to “systematically reform its production processes.”

A plane made for American Airlines

(AAL) Sources have said it is likely to be the first 787 that Boeing has delivered since May 2021. That could come as soon as next month. American Airlines

(AAL) It said last week on an earnings call that it expects to receive nine 787s this year, including two in early August.

Boeing in January disclosed $3.5 billion in charges for 787 delivery delays and customer concessions, and another $1 billion in unusual production costs caused by production defects and related repairs and inspections.