Boeing expects a slower increase in the production rate and deliveries of its 787 wide body jets as the US planemaker wrestles with supplier shortages “on a few key parts,” an executive on the program told workers on Monday.
Boeing still plans to steadily increase its rate to meet
“strong demand”, according to the memo seen by Reuters from Scott Stocker, 787
vice-president and general manager, to workers at its South Carolina facility.
“We continue to manage through supplier shortages on a few
key parts,” the memo said. “To that end, we have shared with our customers that
we expect a slower increase in our rate of production and deliveries.”
Boeing said its 787 production rate was five per month
during the last quarter of 2023.
The FAA said it “is aware of Boeing’s challenges obtaining
certain parts and is in close communication with the company as it navigates
this issue.”
The agency added it is “focused on working with Boeing to
ensure only safe and compliant airplanes leave the factory, and the agency
retains the authority to issue airworthiness certificates for all Boeing 787s.”
Boeing, which reports earnings on Wednesday, faces scrutiny
over the manufacturing of its 777 and 787 widebody jets after company engineer
Sam Salehpour spoke out last week at a US Senate hearing.
Salehpour has claimed Boeing failed to adequately shim, or
use a thin piece of material to fill tiny gaps in a manufactured product, an
omission that could cause premature fatigue failure over time in some areas of
the 787 Dreamliner.
The planemaker said there had been no findings of fatigue on
its older 787 jets.
Boeing’s separate production of its 737 MAX single-aisle jet
in Washington state has fallen sharply as US regulators step up factory checks
and workers slow the assembly line outside Seattle to complete outstanding
work.
Boeing’s safety culture and manufacturing quality have come
under fire following a January mid-air panel blowout on a near-new 737 MAX 9.
Planemakers have broadly been wrestling with shortages of
parts and labor due to supply chain snags that have led to delays in deliveries
to airlines. REUTERS
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