Aviation: Boeing has delivered its first 787 Dreamliner in a year

Boeing took delivery of its first 787 Dreamliner on Wednesday, starting in June 2021, the US planemaker announced, while deliveries of its long-haul planes were halted for more than a year due to operational problems.

“We have resumed deliveries of the 787 following our analyses, checks and remanufacturing aimed at ensuring that all aircraft meet the correct Boeing specifications and regulatory requirements,” the aircraft manufacturer said in a statement to AFP.

The boss of American Airlines was also delighted on the same day to take delivery of the company’s “first Boeing 787-8” from April 2021. “The 787 is a vital part of the American fleet and this is the first of nine 787s we expect to receive this year,” Robert Isom said on his Instagram page.

The US Civil Aviation Regulator (FAA) announced on Monday that Boeing has made the “necessary changes” to resume deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner. The first defects of the long-haul 787 Dreamliner were discovered in late summer 2020. Upon closer inspection of the device, other problems emerged.

Initially from November 2020 to March 2021, and then from the end of May, Boeing had to stop deliveries. The FAA announced in February that it was temporarily revoking Boeing’s ability to certify its 787 Dreamliners after deciding to inspect certain 787s in March 2021.

This task is usually assigned to Boeing employees, who, according to the agreement between the authorities and the manufacturer, can inspect the aircraft and issue certificates of airworthiness on behalf of the FAA.

With the FAA’s green light, the 787s will now roll off the production line and no longer require joint inspections, Boeing said Wednesday. At the end of June, the group had 120 of these devices in its inventory and said it was producing them at a very low rate. A total of 1006 Dreamliners have been delivered by Boeing since the order was placed in 2004.