Boeing Halts 787 Dreamliner Jet Deliveries Due to Documentation Issue

Plane maker hasn’t delivered the wide body aircraft since Jan. 26

Boeing Co. has halted deliveries of 787 Dreamliner jets because of a documentation issue, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The plane maker hasn’t handed over a Dreamliner since Jan. 26 from the production line or from the dozens stored awaiting delivery, said aviation-data provider Ascend by Cirium. Boeing last week said it had paused assembly of new jets.

The assembly pause has been lifted, but documentation issues discovered in the past week have led Boeing to halt deliveries pending a resolution.

“Boeing temporarily halted deliveries of 787 Dreamliners after notifying the FAA that it is conducting additional analysis on a fuselage component,” the FAA said. “Deliveries will not resume until the FAA is satisfied that the issue has been addressed.”

Boeing confirmed the halt and said it didn’t expect its full-year production and delivery guidance to be affected.

Dreamliner deliveries are central to Boeing’s plan to boost revenue and cash, and also provide certainty to suppliers raising their own output of parts for the plane and the 737 MAX.

Boeing shares were recently down more than 2.5% in after-hours trading.

The company said the problem was found during a review of certification records, prompted by an analysis error from a supplier related to the 787’s forward pressure bulkhead, a section in the nose of the jet has caused problems in the past.

Boeing has around 100 already-built 787s awaiting delivery. The FAA has to sign off on each delivery.

Boeing had pared production to about one Dreamliner plane a month, but planned to increase it to three a month and then to as many as five later this year. It has said it plans to deliver 70 to 80 of the planes in 2023, most from already-built inventory.

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc one of the biggest suppliers of parts to the 787, said it is continuing to deliver fuselage barrels for the planes to Boeing. The company said it was on track to hand over eight in the first quarter and 40 to 45 this year.

“We have provided all of the information that Boeing requested on the 787 over the last two years,” Spirit AeroSystems said.

Boeing delivered three 787s in January and 10 in December, taking the total to 34 since they resumed last August. The FAA said it is working with Boeing to determine any actions that might be required for recently delivered airplanes.

Boeing Chief Financial Officer Brian West last week said it had paused 787 assembly at its North Charleston, S.C., facility to address issues related to the Spirit-built fuselage. Mr. West said it was the amount of work involved rather than a quality issue that led to the unspecified assembly halt.

Tom Gentile, Spirit AeroSystems chief executive, said Thursday that no new production issues had emerged since the FAA’s clearance for Dreamliner deliveries to resume last summer.

Boeing has 575 orders for the 787 in its backlog and has said production is sold out through 2025.