(Washington) The American civil aviation regulator (FAA) announced on Monday that Boeing had made the “necessary changes” for a resumption of deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner, after a total suspension since May 2021 due to operational problems.
Posted at 2:59 p.m.
“We expect deliveries to resume in the coming days,” the FAA said in a statement, assuring that the agency would inspect each plane before delivery.
Acting FAA Director Billy Nolen met with agency safety inspectors in South Carolina last week to confirm they were satisfied with the improvement measures taken by the FAA. Boeing.
He spoke with them about the measures taken to improve the quality of production but also about the guarantees given as to the independence of the employees who must ensure compliance with the regulations on the assembly lines.
Contacted by AFP, Boeing simply declared: “We will continue to work with the FAA and with our customers towards a resumption of deliveries of the 787”.
First defects on the long-haul 787 Dreamliner had been discovered at the end of the summer of 2020. The device being closely examined, other problems had since appeared.
Boeing had to suspend deliveries, from November 2020 to March 2021 initially, then since the end of May.
Breath of fresh air
After deciding in March 2021 to inspect certain 787s itself, the FAA announced in February that it had temporarily withdrawn Boeing’s ability to certify its 787 Dreamliners itself.
This task is normally devolved to Boeing employees who, according to an agreement between the authorities and the manufacturer, can carry out on behalf of the FAA the inspection of the aircraft and the issuance of certificates of airworthiness.
At the end of June, the group had 120 of these devices in its inventory and claimed to be producing them at a very low rate.
In all, 1006 Dreamliners have been delivered by Boeing since the first orders in 2004.
The green light from the American regulator represents a breath of fresh air for the manufacturer, which for its cash flow relied on deliveries of the 737 MAX, a device banned from flying for 20 months in 2019 and 2020 after two fatal accidents.
Boeing has just racked up nearly 300 orders and commitments at the Farnborough Air Show in the United Kingdom, well ahead of Airbus, even if the American aircraft manufacturer’s order book remains less full than that of its European competitor.