American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) is reportedly planning to reduce its international flight schedule for summer 2022 due to Boeing 787 Dreamliner delivery delays, according to people familiar with the matter and a draft internal airline memo seen by Wall Street Journal on December 9, 2021.
According to Boeing orders and deliveries data, American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) currently has 25 unfilled orders for Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. According to Planespotters.net, American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) presently has a total of 46 787s.
The major American airline may reduce its summer 2022 flights because Boeing is still facing a rocky path in reviving its 787 Dreamliner deliveries, which have been mired by recurring production issues since 2020.
Recurring 787 production flaws
A myriad of production flaws forced Boeing to suspend 787 Dreamliner deliveries.
The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner quality issue was found in late August 2020, as it appeared that the aft fuselage section of some Dreamliners would not be able to withstand maximum stress, making it more prone to a structural failure while in the air.
Another problem was found in September 2020, and was related to the tail fin of the aircraft. Parts of the horizontal stabilizer were clamped together with greater force than designed to withstand.
After addressing the quality addresses, Boeing ended a five-month delivery suspension of this aircraft type in March 2021.
However, in May 2021, the Chicago-based planemaker halted deliveries of Boeing 787 Dreamliner once again, as the FAA requested more data on Boeing’s proposed solution to address previously disclosed 787 manufacturing issues.
According to a Wall Street Journal report released in September 2021, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has rejected Boeing’s proposal to approve inspection of new twinjets, meaning that deliveries of 787 may be further delayed to October 2021.