(Reuters) – Boeing Co delivered its first 787 Dreamliner in more than a year on Wednesday after a lengthy halt, stemming from production problems, cost the U.S. planemaker at least $5 billion.
The restart in deliveries comes as a major relief for Boeing, which was struggling with the production of the wide-body jet for more than two years. It could also help the airline industry better tap this year’s boom in travel demand.
Here is a timeline of the troubled 787 program since 2020:
Date Development
September Boeing finds production problem in the new 787
2020 Dreamliner and warns of delays in deliveries
(https://reut.rs/3p3oPNF)
December Cuts 787 Dreamliner production for the fourth
2020 time in 18 months after posting zero
deliveries in November (https://reut.rs/3C9uIAH)
December The company’s quality inspections related to
2020 previously disclosed production flaws in the
plane finds the same issue in other parts of
the jet (https://reut.rs/3p3p8bh)
March 2021 Boeing resumes 787 deliveries; hands over one
plane to United Airlines (https://reut.rs/3dc3r5X)
May 2021 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says
Boeing will temporarily halt 787 deliveries as
the agency waits for more data to determine if
the planemaker’s planned inspection method
meets federal requirements
July 2021 The FAA says some undelivered planes have a
new manufacturing quality issue that the
company will fix before delivery
July 2021 Boeing cuts 787 production after finding
another production-related structural defect
September The Wall Street Journal reports that the
2021 delivery of Dreamliners will likely remain
halted until at least late October as the FAA
rejects the company’s inspection proposal
October 2021 Boeing finds new defect in 787 Dreamliner,
says some titanium parts were improperly
manufactured over the past three years
January 2022 Unveils a total of $4.5 billion in charges in
the fourth quarter related to 787 delivery
delays, customer concessions and production
costs
February The FAA says it would perform final
2022 inspections on new jets and will not allow the
planemaker to self-certify individual new
Boeing 787 planes
April 2022 Boeing tells airlines and parts suppliers that
787 deliveries will resume in the second half
of 2022, Reuters reports
May 2022 The FAA finds 787 certification documents
incomplete, Reuters reports
July 2022 FAA approves Boeing’s inspection and
modification plan to resume deliveries of the
aircraft
August 2022 The U.S. government approves the first 787
delivery since 2021, clearing the way for
American Airlines to take possession
August 2022 American Airlines says it has
taken the delivery of its first 787 Dreamliner
(Reporting by Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva)
