Lufthansa can hope to have the first long-haul jet delivered in August after a long delay.
(Photo: imago images/NurPhoto)
Frankfurt The US aviation authority FAA has apparently released the production of the long-haul jet Boeing 787 (Dreamliner) again. A piece of news that is also a relief for Lufthansa: the airline could still get the first machine in the series in August.
There is no official confirmation yet. But the usually very well-informed specialist magazine “Aviation Week” reported on the decision of the FAA, and the news agencies Reuters and Bloomberg also have corresponding information.
There had always been massive problems during the production of the Dreamliner. Sometimes tools were found in the jets that workers had forgotten, then the quality of supplied parts was not right. Most recently, hairline cracks on certain components meant that Boeing had to stop building the jet again.
Now the company has reportedly been able to adequately document the FAA on how to fix the problems. The number and scope of the test flights should now also be sufficient. Above all, Boeing can begin to revise aircraft that have already been produced and finally hand them over to customers. More than 100 jets are now said to be parked.
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Many customers are eagerly waiting for the plane, after all air traffic is picking up sharply towards the end of the pandemic. The delayed delivery of new machines amplifies the problems that already exist in flight operations.
Delivery problems are causing difficulties for airlines
Due to the delivery problems, among other things, Lufthansa has decided to reactivate the double-decker Airbus A380, which has actually already been retired. From next summer he should fly again.
Lufthansa is not only waiting for the ordered Dreamliner, the Boeing 777-X is also delayed. The aircraft should be delivered in 2023, including the delay. It is now clear that it will take even longer: the first aircraft should not go to customers until 2025.
The Lufthansa leadership had decided to greatly reduce the number of so-called four-jets – jets with four engines. The A380 should be taken out, but the Boeing 747-8 should remain. Instead, like other airlines, the group wants to rely on twin-engine aircraft on long-haul routes.
Not only are they efficient. They are also more optimally utilized because they are a bit smaller. It is easier to continuously find a sufficient number of passengers for them. In addition to the Airbus A350, the choice fell on the Boeing 787 (Dreamliner).
Dreamliner problem costs Boeing $5.5 billion
For Boeing, too, the release of production is finally good news again. The group has been in a deep crisis since the terrible crash of two Boeing 737 Max. The management at that time placed more value on share buybacks and price increases than on real innovations and high safety standards.
The Airbus rival is still suffering today. In the second quarter, net income plummeted more than 70 percent to $160 million. Sales fell 2 percent to $16.7 billion. The problems with the Dreamliner alone are likely to cost the US group $5.5 billion in the end. After all, Boeing was recently able to land some new orders at the Farnborough Air Show.
More: How Boeing has to fight to catch up