Boeing 787 faces closer FAA scrutiny for quality checks

Bloomberg

Boeing Co’s 787 Dreamliner suffered a new blow as US regulators said they would step up inspections of each jet before delivery.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in an emailed statement that it is taking the action to “allow the agency to confirm the effectiveness of measures Boeing has undertaken to improve the 787 manufacturing process.”
Since 2020, the company has grappled with structural glitches that have turned its popular wide-body jet into a drain on cash. More than 110 of the carbon-fiber aircraft have been built but left undelivered while the issues are resolved.
The FAA is imposing the same authority it invoked earlier on the 737 Max by insisting that its own safety inspectors conduct reviews of each jet before they can be sold to customers, indicating the agency lacks confidence in Boeing’s manufacturing processes.
The action is the latest highlighting tensions between the aircraft manufacturer and its regulator. The two tangled for months over how to redesign the 737 Max following two fatal crashes and the quality of the plane’s construction, and the FAA has issued several civil fines against the company.
“We respect the FAA’s role as our regulator and we will continue to work transparently through their detailed and rigorous processes,” the company said in an emailed statement.
Boeing revealed with its earnings that it faces $5.5 billion in total costs to inspect and repair Dreamliners and compensate customers for lost flying, wiping out its profits for the aircraft. The planemaker hasn’t handed over any of the marquee wide-body jets since June as Boeing and its suppliers grapple with tiny structure imperfections that have cropped up around the jet’s air frame.
The Chicago-based company expects to spend around $2 billion to repair the 110 or so
undelivered Dreamliners that have stacked up around its factories and in storage yards and signalled that the work will extend through the end of next year. While Boeing hasn’t said when it expects to restart 787 deliveries, most suppliers don’t expect that to occur until the third quarter, according to analyst Ken Herbert of RBC Capital Markets.