Boeing Halts Dreamliner Deliveries Due to Analysis Error

DALLAS — Boeing has paused the delivery of its 787 Dreamliner to look into an “analysis error” made by a supplier related to the forward pressure bulkhead.

No deliveries have been made since January 26, and the company will not be able to resume them until they can demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration that they have fixed the issue.

Boeing is continuing to produce the Dreamliner and does not anticipate any additional work will be necessary on the aircraft. In a statement, the company said, “In reviewing certification records, Boeing discovered an analysis error by our supplier related to the 787 forward pressure bulkhead. We notified the FAA and have paused 787 deliveries while we complete the required analysis and documentation.”

“There is no immediate safety of flight concern for the in-service fleet. We are communicating with our customers and will continue to follow the lead of the FAA. 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,” added Boeing.

https://airwaysmag.com/air-new-zealand-defers-boeing-787-deliveries/

Previous Dreamliner Delays

Boeing has had difficulty delivering 787s in a timely manner. In May 2021 they had to halt deliveries, which only resumed in August 2022. The problem was related to production issues related to gaps between the panels of the carbon-composite fuselage.

Additionally, the FAA’s oversight of the delivery of these jets had to be improved, leading to a more transparent and regulated inspection process. Even prior to that, Boeing had to halt deliveries for five months in 2020.

Aviation runs like a Swiss watch. One small misstep can delay the whole process moving forward. According to Boeing data, there is a backlog of 505 Dreamliners. Due to the previous delays, Boeing did not expect to deliver more than 50% of this backlog in 2021 and 2022.

Boeing plans to gradually return the Dreamliner production to 5/mo by late 2023 and to increase to 10/mo in 2025/2026.

Featured image: Brandon Farris/Airways