Boeing receives order to build hundreds of 1:20 planes
(CNN) -
Boeing's problems don't go away even when it has its best month in years.
Boeing on Tuesday revealed a new problem with the 787 Dreamliner wide-body jet, which has been plagued by problems since August.
The company said some of the aircraft's fuselage components were not put together to meet the precise standards and there are questions about the verification process to make sure they meet the standards.
The places where airplane parts meet must meet specific standards down to a small fraction of an inch.
There are doubts about the inspection process used to check that work.
The company said it has been working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the problem and has identified a way to fix 787s that are not yet delivered to customers.
Boeing said 787s already in service do not need to be grounded.
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FAA says these Boeing jets pose no immediate threat
The FAA agreed, saying it is aware of a manufacturing quality issue and "does not pose an immediate threat to flight safety."
"Based on the data, the FAA will determine whether similar modifications should be made to the 787s already in commercial service," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
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Aircraft that are not yet delivered will be fixed
Boeing will fix aircraft that have not yet been delivered and inspect them prior to delivery.
The company said that process will take a few weeks.
"We will continue to take the time necessary to ensure that Boeing aircraft are of the highest quality prior to delivery," the company said in a statement.
The company has about 100 undelivered Dreamliners.
In April, it said it expected to deliver most of those planes during 2021. However, Boeing said Tuesday that it will miss that goal due to problems with the 787.
The company temporarily halted deliveries of the 787 last August and recommended that a group of planes be temporarily grounded for inspection.
Since then, those planes have been back in service.
Boeing also resumed deliveries of the planes in March.
Strong orders and deliveries
This overshadowed Boeing's very strong order and delivery figures for the past month.
The aircraft maker reported Tuesday that June was its best month for new orders since 2018, thanks to an order for 200 737 Max aircraft placed by United Airlines during the month.
And it reported the best month for deliveries since March 2019, when a fatal 737 Max accident led to the 20-month immobilization of that aircraft and the stoppage of deliveries.
Boeing said it delivered 45 planes last month.
That's important to the company's finances, because it makes most of the cash from the sale of an aircraft at the time of delivery.
Thus, in June it delivered 33 737 Max aircraft, 2 military versions of the 737 and 10 wide-body aircraft.
But only one was a 787, for Turkish Airlines.
Most of the rest of the wide-body aircraft were cargo aircraft or military aircraft, indicating the fragility of the wide-body category on the market.
United's large order for the 737 Max was an important vote of confidence for the aircraft and the expected recovery in demand for air travel.
But those orders were the only airliner that Boeing placed in June.
The other 19 planes ordered were cargo planes purchased by FedEx.
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Ongoing problems
But delivery delays and slower-than-expected production for the 787, which was announced Tuesday, will be costly for the company, which posted nearly $ 20 billion in operating losses in the past eight quarters.
Boeing is expected to finally make a profit in the recently concluded second quarter.
While it may be profitable again, Tuesday's news makes clear that the quality problems that have plagued it since the 737 Max shutdown continue.
Boeing shares fell 2% in pre-market trading.
The Dreamliner is a leading aircraft in the wide-body aircraft segment, in which Boeing dominates its rival Airbus.
Made from a composite material that weighs less than aluminum, the aircraft is extremely fuel efficient.
Although it was briefly grounded in 2013 after some fires in its lithium battery, the plane has had few known problems since then.
The plane is mainly used on the longest international routes, which have been severely depleted by the covid-19 pandemic.
Airline and Boeing executives said international air travel is expected to be the last part of the air transport industry to fully recover.
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