Boeing announced on Tuesday that it had reduced the production rate of its long-haul 787 Dreamliner after the emergence of new problems.
Boeing had already revealed last September to have discovered several manufacturing defects on the connection of a portion of the fuselage of the 787 then on the horizontal stabilizer.
The American aircraft manufacturer Boeing announced on Tuesday that it had reduced the production rate of its long-haul 787 Dreamliner after the emergence of new problems on top of previous problems that had already disrupted deliveries.
"The production of the 787s will temporarily be less than five per month," the group said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that "Boeing now anticipates the delivery of less than half of the 787s present in the inventory this year".
These deliveries are completely suspended for now and will resume later, Boeing told AFP.
Several manufacturing defects
In a statement also sent to AFP, the aviation regulator in the United States, the FAA, claims for its part to have been informed of problems "near the nose of certain 787 Dreamliners", adding that they were discovered thanks to the inspection system set up at the initiative of the regulator.
Boeing had already revealed last September to have discovered several manufacturing defects on the connection of a portion of the fuselage of the 787 then on the horizontal stabilizer.
The aircraft manufacturer then suspended deliveries between November and March.
In May, the manufacturer had again interrupted deliveries of its long-haul, the time to transmit to the FAA additional information following production problems.
"We will continue to take the time necessary to ensure that Boeing aircraft meet the highest standards before delivery," wrote Boeing in its statement.
The FAA for its part says it will determine "whether similar modifications are necessary on the 787s already in service."
The safety of Boeing aircraft is under close scrutiny following two crashes of its current flagship, the 737 MAX.
Two accidents close together in 2018 and 2019
Launched in 2017, the device was the victim of two close-quarters accidents in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346, due in particular to a defect in the MCAS flight control software.
He was grounded for twenty months before being cleared to fly in late 2020.
Electrical problems in the cockpits of some 737 MAXs had however led at the beginning of April to the temporary immobilization of a hundred copies already delivered.
On the stock market, the title of the manufacturer fell 1.9% in electronic transactions before the opening of Wall Street.