The acting chief of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will meet with his agency’s flight safety inspectors in South Carolina today before a decision is made on whether Boeing can resume deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner after the problems in the production line that forced the company to stop deliveries of aircraft of the same type in May 2021, as stated by an FAA representative.
The purpose of the visit of FAA acting administrator Billy Nolen “is to ensure that the conditions that his agency has set for Boeing, regarding the adoption of the necessary measures to improve the quality of production, but also the guarantees for the autonomy of workers certifying company compliance with regulations on aircraft assembly lines,” according to the FAA.
On Friday, Reuters reported that the FAA has approved Boeing’s plan for aircraft inspections and modifications to begin deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner, citing two sources familiar with the matter. Deliveries of the aircraft could begin as early as this month, sources told Reuters. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decisions had not been made public, said the FAA approved Boeing’s proposal to require special inspections to certify that the aircraft meets certain conditions and that all related work has been completed.
Boeing has suspended deliveries of 787 aircraft after the FAA announced its concerns about the company’s proposed methodology for conducting inspections. On July 17, Boeing announced to reporters that it was “very close” to resuming deliveries of the 787 aircraft. However, before aircraft deliveries can resume, the FAA still needs to issue the relevant airworthiness certification document for the aircraft of the mentioned type .
The FAA noted that even if deliveries resume, it “will inspect each aircraft before issuing a certificate of airworthiness. The additional oversight measure will remain in place until the agency in question gathers satisfactory data to allow it to be reassigned to Boeing.” ”
The FAA announced that Nolen asked Boeing officials “to prepare for today an update on these programs, as well as on the operation of Boeing’s management system, regarding the identification and minimization of risks in the entire production process.”
Boeing announced yesterday, Wednesday, that it “will continue to work transparently with the FAA and our customers to resume deliveries of the 787.” The manufacturer has faced issues with 787 production for more than two years. In September 2020, the FAA announced that it was “investigating production issues” on some 787 aircraft.
In the wake of the two fatal 787 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, the FAA committed to closer scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing processes, but also to handing less authority over the aircraft certification process to the company.
For the 787 Dreamliner, the FAA has issued two airworthiness directives to address issues related to the production of the aircraft, as well as business aircraft, and a new problem was identified in July 2021.
Boeing had moved to resume deliveries of the aircraft in March 2021, after a five-month hiatus, before suspending them again. Friday’s approval was the result of lengthy discussions between the company and the FAA.
An aircraft built for American Airlines is likely to be the first 787 to be delivered by Boeing starting in May 2021, sources said. The delivery of the aircraft may even take place within the next week. American Airlines said in an earnings update last month that it expects to take delivery of nine 787s this year, including two in early August.
SOURCE: APE-ME
Source: Capital
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