Delivery of nearly 100 aircraft is delayed
It was already known that the Boeing 787 was not born under a good star. Since its development, this model has been plagued by various technical and administrative problems. The corona pandemic, shortages of parts and problems with their delivery, together with defects in the software, ensured that the d 787 could not or was not allowed to be delivered for years. The latter by order of the American aviation authority. And now the next problem has already reported itself. As a result, a small 100 copies of the 787 that are in the factory cannot be delivered for the time being.
Problem with horizontal stabilizer
The issues are expressed this time with the horizontal stabilizers. Fortunately, it is a production problem. This only affects the delivery of almost 100 new Dreamliners. The aircraft that have already been delivered and taken into use are not affected by this and can therefore continue to fly.
In a statement, Boeing explains the new issue as follows: “We are inspecting 787s in our inventory for a non-compliant condition related to a horizontal stabilizer mounting. Aircraft determined to be in a non-compliant condition will be reworked prior to ticketing and delivery.”
Third-party supplier component
The part where this problem has been identified is not made by Boeing itself, but by an external supplier. For those who don’t know, the horizontal stabilizers are located on the wing in the tail of the aircraft. Boeing found that the mounting fitting had shims that were not the correct size and did not meet the required specifications.
The aircraft manufacturer will of course replace the problem parts before the aircraft are delivered. That means another delay, this time for just under 100 copies of the Dreamliner. Last Friday, Boeing halted scheduled deliveries of 787s. Replacing the stabilizers is expected to take several weeks.