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By David Shepardson and Eric M. Johnson
WASHINGTON / SEATTLE (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday evening that some undelivered Boeing 787 Dreamliners had a new build-quality issue that the manufacturer would correct before the planes were delivered.
The FAA said the problem was “close to nose on some 787 Dreamliners in the company’s inventory of undelivered aircraft.” This issue was discovered as part of the ongoing system-wide inspection of the Boeing 787’s timing processes required by the FAA.
The FAA added that “based on the data, the FAA will determine whether similar modifications need to be made to the 787s already in commercial service.”
Boeing did not immediately comment.
This is the latest production issue to hit Boeing’s ailing 787 Dreamliner.
In late May, the FAA said Boeing temporarily halted 787 deliveries as the agency waits for more data to determine whether the aircraft manufacturer’s planned inspection method meets federal requirements.
“Boeing has yet to show that its proposed inspection method would meet federal FAA safety regulations. The FAA is awaiting further data from Boeing before determining whether the company’s solution complies with safety regulations,” the FAA said on May 28.
The FAA had published in May two airworthiness directives to solve the problems of production of the planes in service.
The US aircraft maker’s 737 MAX and 787 have been plagued by electrical and other issues since late last year, and it only resumed deliveries of the 787s in March after a five-month hiatus.
Two leading U.S. lawmakers said in May they were seeking files from Boeing and the FAA on production issues involving the 737 MAX and the 787 Dreamliner.
The FAA said in September it was investigating manufacturing defects involving some 787 Dreamliners. Boeing said in August that airlines operating its 787 Dreamliners had withdrawn eight jets from service due to two separate manufacturing issues.
(Reporting by David Shepardson and Eric M. Johnson; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman & Shri Navaratnam)
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