Boeing Closes In on Making New Dreamliner Deliveries
LONDON—
Boeing Co.
commercial airplanes chief
Stan Deal
said Sunday the manufacturer was “very close” to resuming 787 Dreamliner deliveries after a nearly two-year pause.
Mr. Deal said the regulatory process to win approval for resolving various production defects with the wide-body jets was close to finished.
“I don’t think there will be extra innings added,” Mr. Deal said at a news conference ahead of the Farnborough International Airshow, which opens near London on Monday.
The plane maker initially halted Dreamliner deliveries in late 2020 to address manufacturing issues, which raised more questions by its own engineers and the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency approves airplane designs and has final say on when passengers can fly on commercial jets in the U.S.
The FAA, which ultimately controls when Boeing can resume delivery of the wide-body jets, said it “will sign off on each delivery only after Boeing demonstrates the aircraft meets FAA safety standards.”
The agency isn’t currently expected to approve Dreamliner deliveries until later this month at the earliest, people familiar with the matter have said.
The 787 has proven popular with airlines for long-haul international flights and enabled carriers to connect the world’s cities with new routes.
Major Boeing customers including
have had to pare their flying schedules because of the delayed 787 deliveries. Boeing said it had about 115 Dreamliners––together valued at more than $25 billion––in its inventory at the end of March.
Mr. Deal predicted Boeing would receive more orders for the Dreamliner once the company resumes deliveries of the jet.
He also said Boeing would likely receive new orders for the 737 MAX 10, the longest version of the company’s narrow-body jet, at the air show. The MAX 10 faces a cloudy future because of a legally mandated year-end deadline requiring an update to the plane’s cockpit systems that Boeing might not meet.
Chief Executive
David Calhoun
told a trade publication recently that the manufacturer might have to consider scrapping the new plane if Congress didn’t extend the deadline. Mr. Deal said the company isn’t likely to cancel the plane. “The high-probability path and the commitment we’ve made to our customers is to get this airplane certified,” he said.
Write to Andrew Tangel at Andrew.Tangel@wsj.com
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