US approves delivery of first Boeing 787 Dreamliner since 21-Sources

The Boeing logo is displayed on screen, at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, August 7, 2019. REUTERS / Brendan McDermid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government on Monday approved the first Boeing (ban) People familiar with the matter told Reuters that the 787 Dreamliner has been in delivery since 2021, paving the way for American Airlines to takeover.

American Airlines (AAL.O) It said it expects to receive the first Boeing 787 of the year as early as Wednesday and that the aircraft will enter commercial service in the coming weeks. The plane is the first 787 delivery since April 2021.

Earlier Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it expected Boeing to resume delivery of its 787s in the coming days after the factory made the inspection and retrofit changes needed to meet certification standards.

Boeing halted deliveries in May 2021 after the Federal Aviation Administration raised concerns about the proposed inspection method. In September 2020, the FAA said it was investigating manufacturing defects on about 787 aircraft.

American Airlines said on an earnings call in July that it expects to receive nine 787s this year, including two in early August. It has ordered 42 aircraft, excluding one that it expects to receive this week.

Boeing said it continues to work transparently with the FAA and our customers to resume delivery of the 787.

Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration approved Boeing’s plan for specific inspections to verify that the aircraft met requirements and that all retrofitting work had been completed.

Boeing has about 120 787 aircraft awaiting delivery. The FAA said it would “inspect each aircraft before issuing and approving an airworthiness certificate for delivery.” The FAA usually delegates the authority to issue plane tickets to the manufacturer, but in some cases like the 737 MAX, it has retained the responsibility to approve each new plane.

In the wake of the two fatal 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019, the Federal Aviation Administration has pledged to closely examine Boeing and delegate fewer responsibilities to Boeing for aircraft certification.

On Thursday, Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen met with FAA safety inspectors in South Carolina as the agency considers whether to allow Boeing to resume 787 deliveries.

Before Boeing suspended production, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) previously issued two airworthiness directives to address production issues for in-service aircraft. I identified a new issue in July 2021.

The aircraft manufacturer resumed deliveries in March 2021 after a five-month hiatus before stopping them again. The FAA previously said it wanted to ensure Boeing “has a robust plan for the rework it must perform on a large volume of new 787s in storage” and that “Boeing’s deliveries are stable.”

In January, Boeing disclosed $3.5 billion in charges due to 787 delivery delays and customer concessions, and another $1 billion in unusual production costs caused by production defects and related repairs and inspections.

David Shepardson News. Editing by Mark Porter, Cynthia Osterman and David Gregorio

Our criteria: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.