The exterior of a 787 Dreamliner at Boeing’s North Charleston manufacturing plant on December 13, 2022.
Logan Cyrus | AFP | Getty Images
Boeing has temporarily halted deliveries of its 787 Dreamliners so it can perform additional analysis on a fuselage component, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement to CNBC on Thursday.
The company will not be able to resume deliveries until it shows the FAA that it has fixed the problem. Boeing does not expect the problem to require further work on the 787s, a person familiar with the matter said.
Boeing did not immediately comment. Shares of the company fell 3% in after-hours trading.
The planes, which are often used for long-haul international routes, have suffered from several problems for several years. This is not the first time that deliveries have been interrupted.
In May 2021, Boeing halted deliveries of the jumbo jets for the second time in less than a year after the FAA determined there were issues with the manufacturer’s method of rating the plane. The FAA previously said the problems were linked to improper spacing issues in parts of the 787 plane, including the fuselage, which Boeing acknowledged was a problem in 2020, causing a five-month halt in deliveries. .
In August 2022, it delivered its first 787 Dreamliner since the last delivery pause at American Airlines, marking a milestone for the company as most of the price of the plane is paid when it is handed over to customers.
A few months later, United Airlines ordered 100 787 Dreamliners, with the option to purchase another 100, to replace some of its old stock.
The order was a major boost for Boeing, and the planes were expected to be delivered between 2024 and 2032, United said previously.
United CEO Scott Kirby said it was easier to buy more Boeing 787s than Airbus’ competing A350 jumbo jet.
“In this world where we’re trying to bring in 2,500 pilots a year and grow the airline, introducing a new kind of fleet slows that down considerably,” he said on a call with officials. journalists. “And the truth is that the 787 is a better replacement for the [767] because it’s smaller.”
Read the full FAA statement:
“Boeing temporarily halted deliveries of 787 Dreamliners after notifying the FAA that it was performing additional analysis on a fuselage component. Deliveries will not resume until the FAA is satisfied that the issue has been resolved. The FAA is working with Boeing to determine any action that may be required for newly delivered aircraft.”
– CNBC’s Phil LeBeau and Leslie Josephs contributed to this report.
