While Dreamliner 787 deliveries continue to be halted by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decision, Boeing is testing its suppliers’ ability to meet highly ambitious production targets.
Although the manufacturer refuses to make predictions on when it will get approval from regulators to resume deliveries, according to Reuters sources, the Chicago-based company plans to have «up to seven» units rolling off production lines monthly by the end of 2023.
Deliveries of the 787 have been halted for nearly a year because of manufacturing defects and hindrances to the certification of units of the model. According to Reuters’ sources, Boeing has presented its suppliers with different scenarios. Though some analysts consider them «ambitious». This is due to the state of the industry as far as the US manufacturer is concerned. They claim on successive crises (737 MAX and Covid-19), the US-China trade war, and, currently, labor and materials shortages due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Achieving the targets will depend on several factors. These include the resumption of deliveries, the speed with which it can place inventory (more than 100 units are still waiting to be delivered), and the extent to which the Ukraine crisis reduces demand. While some industry sources consulted by Boeing have suggested that the resumption of deliveries could occur next month, some are less optimistic.
Boeing’s plan could involve an increase in the monthly production rate. Moving from two 787s to three around May – if deliveries have resumed by then – and to four around November. After that, the manufacturer «has asked suppliers to be prepared to cope with a rate of up to seven units per month by around October 2023» if necessary. Before the pandemic, Boeing was building around 12 of these planes a month.
Doubts about whether airlines require so many units
The industry has received mixed signals about the demand for planes. Especially long-range ones. Boeing has said publicly that it sees a full recovery in air traffic by the end of 2024, however, it sent a message to a supplier that 787 parts production rates may not reach pre-pandemic levels until around 2026 or 2027.
Read more: 787 production problems begin to impact airline operations
«Overall, our projections for commercial market recovery remain unchanged. We continue to assume passenger traffic will return to 2019 levels between 2023 and 2024,» a Boeing spokesperson said.
