The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last Friday authorized Boeing to resume deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner. The order takes effect this week and comes after the manufacturer addressed recent concerns raised by the regulatory agency regarding the model’s front bulkhead.
The agency ordered a halt to deliveries on Feb. 23 due to an error in the analysis of data related to a part of the plane’s fuselage. Boeing itself found and reported the problem when reviewing certification records. The FAA said the manufacturer had already resolved all of the issues.
«The FAA could resume issuing airworthiness certificates next week,» the agency said in a statement replicated by Reuters. Boeing said it had completed the necessary analysis to confirm that the aircraft meets certification requirements. It also demonstrated that the model requires no new modifications – either to aircraft in production or those already in operation – to meet FAA standards. «We are working with our customers on lead times,» Boeing noted.
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It’s not the first time the manufacturer has quibbled with the forward pressurization bulkhead. Deliveries of the 787 were paused in May 2021 after the FAA discovered gaps around that part. This structure is manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems and separates the cabin (pressurized) from the nose of the aircraft. Boeing agreed to replace that component and was able to resume deliveries in August 2022.
Boeing noted that the data analysis error detected in February, which led to this latest suspension, was unrelated to the earlier quality problems. The company continued production of the Dreamliner while it performed the necessary analysis to correct the discrepancies.
