By David Shepardson and Valerie Insinna
(Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday approved Boeing to resume deliveries of its widebody 787 Dreamliner next week after the planemaker addressed recent concerns raised by the agency.
The agency halted 787 deliveries on Feb. 23 due to a data analysis error related to the jet’s forward pressure bulkhead, which Boeing Co found after reviewing certification records. The FAA said Boeing had addressed those concerns.
“The FAA may resume issuing airworthiness certificates next week,” the agency said.
Boeing shares, which were down 1.4% before the announcement, closed up 0.91% following news of the resumption, which was first reported by Reuters.
Boeing said it had completed the analysis necessary to confirm the aircraft meets requirements and will not require further production or fleet action to meet FAA standards.
“The FAA will determine when 787 ticketing and deliveries resume, and we are working with our customers on delivery timing,” Boeing said.
The latest bump in the Dreamliner’s schedule occurred just months after the FAA had approved Boeing to resume 787 deliveries following a year-long pause due to production quality problems.
Deliveries stopped in May 2021 after the FAA discovered gaps around the forward pressure bulkhead, a structure made by Spirit Aerosystems that acts as a barrier between the pressurized interior cabin and the nose of the aircraft. Boeing agreed to replace that component to gain approval to restart deliveries in August 2022.
Boeing said the data analysis error found in February was unrelated to the previous quality issues. The company continued production of the Dreamliner while conducting the analysis necessary to correct the discrepancy.
Boeing delivered three Dreamliners in January. On Feb. 27, Boeing transferred a 787 – which was ticketed by the FAA for delivery before the pause began – to United Airlines .
A United Airlines spokesperson said the company expects to receive another 787 by the end of the month.
(Reporting by David Shepardson and Valerie Insinna; Editing by Leslie Adler and Bill Berkrot)
