Aircraft manufacturer The Boeing Company has hit another snag involving the delivery of its latest aircraft - compounding its already substantial difficulties. The latest issue stems from a number of technical problems found on its 787 Dreamliner aircraft which has slowed deliveries.
Boeing said Tuesday a number of issues were detected on planes - particularly in the construction of the wide-body jet's carbon-composite fuselage. The Chicago-based aerospace company said inspectors had found improper tolerances and gaps on some of the materials and in between some segments. The same issues were detected on horizontal stabilizers located at the rear of the aircraft.
After it disclosed the issues, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a separate statement it would start an investigation. The administration added it would work with Boeing to determine whether or not the problems posed any violations to its Airworthiness Directives.
Late last month, Boeing said it had about 526 unfulfilled orders for its 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The company said it was thoroughly inspecting all planes to give its production line time to ensure it was free of issues before delivery. Boeing told customers the more stringent inspections would affect the timing of deliveries.
Boeing is still struggling to recover from the international grounding of its 737 Max aircraft following two crashes that killed 346 passengers and crew. The company's problems were compounded by the spread of the coronavirus pandemic - which effectively ground the worldwide travel industry to a halt.
Boeing was eventually forced to reduce operations leading to job cuts that affected thousands of its employees. On Tuesday, Boeing said it had lost another 20 orders for its planes. This was the seventh consecutive month that cancellations outpaced new orders.
Boeing's wide-body 787 Dreamliner is typically used for long-haul international flights. Orders for the aircraft were affected by the arrival of the pandemic - forcing Boeing to cut production from 10 units per month to six units per month.
