Big Boeing 787 News

Boeing is experiencing an incredibly positive August, with its 787 seeing a sharp rise in deliveries.

With LN1088 registered as B-220G to Shanghai Airlines, a Boeing 787-9 is being delivered. Boeing is up to 9 for August, 54 for the year.

The significant figure is a landmark moment for Boeing, as confidence in the production rates of its popular widebody, the 787, begins to increase.

Last week saw many deliveries as well, with more jets being shipped to Chinese carriers and even those in the United States. The planemaker shipped as many as five planes from the program in a week.

Boeing’s ability to begin delivering the 787 to more Chinese customers has also been tremendous, serving as a vote of confidence to these operators located in this part of the world who are seeking to develop their fleets.

With an expected order that is hoped to be finalised, which would include 500 planes from the planemaker, there’s the opportunity for many more 787s to be ordered. With prospective production increases on the horizon, this could be a massive result for Boeing.

Additionally, there were a host of first flights for jets that had just exited the production floor and were expected to undergo their necessary testing before being cleared for delivery.

Plans To Increase 787 Production

Boeing’s planned production increases for the 787 program have been clear for some time; however, those plans are much easier said than achieved, given the obstacles that have been in front of the planemaker in recent times.

At the end of 2024, the company announced it would invest approximately USD 1 billion in the overall 787 program to increase production rates moving forward, aiming to reach 10 per month by 2026.

A significant portion of the planemaker’s focus was on expanding its facilities in Charleston County, where the investment would create approximately 500 jobs over a five-year period and help establish its presence in South Carolina.

Long-term, Boeing also knows it wants to ramp up production rates, with Leeham News and Analysts reporting that the manufacturer is considering an increase to eventually produce up to 16 787s per month, a record rate for the Charleston plant.

Producing 16 of this type monthly would be a significant increase from the peak of 14 units reached before the COVID-19 pandemic and other related issues with Boeing, which had prevented the rate from rising as intended.

Supply chain disruptions have made it harder to find slots. Additionally, the program has a healthy backlog, indicating that Boeing has sufficient capacity to increase production and meet demand.

Why It Has Been A Challenge

For Boeing, the increase in production across all its commercial aeroplane divisions has been a lot easier said than done over the last five-plus years.

Primarily, these challenges have been spurred on by the persistent impact of quality control issues and the need for excessive rework on the 787, which has specifically forced production to be halted at various points.

Additionally, one of the industry’s most challenging situations has been dealing with supply chain partners, who are crucial for building next-generation planes but have been fractured for some time.

Boeing also felt the effects of outsourcing, which led to higher costs than imagined and the inability to control quality and manage timeframes for the popular aircraft.

Inconsistencies arose in the program, placing Boeing in a position where thorough testing was required in multiple areas of the production process to identify the source of the issue.

Delays have plagued the 787 program, and there have been significant shakeups at Boeing, affecting leadership and culture, all for the better, but enough to disrupt plans.