FAA said the problem near the nose of some undelivered 787s “poses no immediate threat to flight safety.”
Boeing will cut production of its 787 Dreamliner plane for several weeks after discovering a new structural flaw in some planes that have been built but not delivered to airline customers. The Chicago company said Tuesday that it now anticipates that it will deliver less than half of the 787s remaining in its inventory this year. That is a retreat from CEO David Calhoun’s statement last month that the company hoped to deliver a majority of the planes, estimated to be fewer than 100, in 2021. The slower rate of deliveries will hurt Boeing’s cash flow because the company gets a large portion of the price of a plane upon delivery. “We will continue to take the necessary time to ensure Boeing airplanes meet the highest quality prior to delivery,” the company said in a prepared statement. “Across the enterprise, our teams remain focused on safety and integrity as we drive stability, first-time quality and productivity in our operations.
