Aircraft delivery delay

Aircraft maker Boeing (NYSE:BA) has halted deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner, and customers will now have to wait again after a recent five-month delay in aircraft deliveries due to production problems, The Wall Street Journal wrote.

The company's shares are losing more than 2% in trading in New York.

The reason for the delay was a request by the federal aviation safety regulator for more information on the proposed solution to fix the previously identified shortcomings of the aircraft.

It is known that after a series of accidents with Boeing 787 planes, the Federal Aviation Administration of the USA (FAA) requires Boeing to conduct wider inspections that require more time and labour. The 787's shortcomings are related to tiny gaps in the joints between parts of the fuselage and aircraft body, as well as in the vertical and horizontal stabilisers in the tail section. Such gaps could lead to the need for premature repairs.

Despite uncertainty over the length of this delay, a Boeing spokesman said the company was keen to provide regulators with more information regarding the undelivered 787 aircraft. Sources said the customer that was supposed to receive the new Dreamliner airliners this week, American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) Group, will have to wait as delivery will not be until next week.

Such a delay could cause a number of difficulties, primarily of a financial nature, putting additional pressure on Boeing as customers usually pay a large portion of the cost of the planes upon receipt, and disrupt the plans of the airline customers themselves as demand for travel increases along with the spread of the COVID-19 vaccine.

However, the manufacturer's first priority now is aircraft safety, especially after the US Federal Aviation Administration began inspecting Boeing's production of the Dreamliner and increased scrutiny of 737 MAX manufacturing operations following previous plant failures.