Quality controls for the 787 Dreamliner and 777 models are being probed
There’s a tab at the top of the Boeing $BA website that says “737-9 Updates,” an acknowledgement of the company’s turmoil in the wake of an Alaska Airlines door plug blowout in January. Well, it looks like the company may have to add a couple more tabs, as the Federal Aviation Administration is reportedly investigating two more of the company’s plane models.
The New York Times reports, after speaking with a whistleblowing engineer, that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777 models may have fuselage problems that could lead to further mid-air incidents. Specifically, he claims that the plane’s outer skin is improperly fastend to the plane and could eventually rip apart in the air. The FAA has reportedly met with the engineer to review his allegations.
In statements to the Times and to Reuters, Boeing says that “claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate and do not represent the comprehensive work Boeing has done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft” and that it is “fully confident” in its products.
The additional scrutiny that has come in the wake of the Alaska Airlines incident, be it from lawsuits or a Justice Department criminal investigation, has put a damper on Boeing’s production capacity. The company delivered just 83 planes in the first quarter of the year, its lowest total since mid-2021. If problems were to arise with the 787 and the 777, which together with the 737 Max comprise 98% of the manufacturer’s order backlog, the company could somehow end up in direr straits than the dire straits in which it currently resides.
Boeing shares fell about 2% in Tuesday trading and are down nearly 32% for the year.
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