The first commercial flight of the Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on December 15, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia.
James D. Morgan | Getty Images
The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it will inspect four of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft, instead of delegating that work to Boeing, after production problems surfaced last year.
“The FAA is taking several corrective actions to address production issues of the Boeing 787,” the agency said in a statement. “One of the actions is to maintain the authority to issue certificates of airworthiness for four 787 aircraft. The FAA may retain the authority to issue certificates of airworthiness for an additional 787 aircraft if we see the need.”
The Dreamliners ’scrutiny increase comes four months after the FAA lifted the 20-month flight ban on Boeing’s best-selling 737 Max, which the regulator set in March 2019 after two fatal crashes in five months. The FAA also retained its authority to sign on the Max aircraft that Boeing has produced since landing.
Boeing revealed problems with some seams on the plane in September.
The FAA told Boeing in January it would end the planes, according to a letter seen by CNBC. It was previously reported by Bloomberg News. Boeing said it still expects to resume aircraft deliveries later this month.
“We are encouraged by the progress our team is making in returning to 787 program delivery activities, “Boeing said.” We have hired the FAA throughout this effort and will implement its direction for approval of the airworthiness certification of the initial aircraft as they have done. in the past.”
Although these latest Dreamliner controls responded to production issues, the FAA said in recent years it has conducted final airworthiness checks on some 787 “so that FAA inspectors can meet their currency requirements. ‘inspection’.