With its delivery of a 787 Dreamliner to United Airlines, Boeing ended a five months hiatus of the aircraft type deliveries. The 787-9 flew from Charleston, South Carolina.
“Today, we resumed 787 deliveries following several months of rigorous engineering analysis, inspection, and as-needed rework to ensure that every airplane we deliver meets all regulatory requirements,” said Lane Ballard, general manager of the Dreamliner program, on March 26, 2021. United expects another Dreamliner on March 29, 2021.
The previous Dreamliner delivery occurred in October 2020, to the Middle East airline Etihad Airways. A myriad of defects had forced Boeing to stop deliveries. Among them, irregularities were found in the interior lining of the fuselage, as well as problems with the manufacturing of vertical tail fin and horizontal stabilizer. The most recent issue was a potential defect of flight deck windows.
In order to address the production quality discrepancies, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily stripped the manufacturer from issuing the final airworthiness certificates of the 787 aircraft.
Boeing has over 80 Dreamliners in stock currently, with 457 Dreamliners to deliver out of the more than 1,500 ordered.
The manufacturer has recently closed its 787 final assembly line in Everett, with all production now located in the Charleston plant. Deliveries are expected to resume normally by the end of the first quarter of 2021.