Boeing 787 flaws probed

– The US aviation authority is investigating manufacturing flaws in the Boeing 787 after the company reported that certain plane parts did not conform to its production standards.

Boeing determined that eight planes affected by the issue needed to be inspected and repaired before they could be returned to service.

“We immediately contacted the airlines that operate the eight affected planes to notify them of the situation and the airplanes have been temporarily removed from service until they can be repaired,” the US aviation giant said on Monday in a statement.

“The rest of the in-service fleet has been determined to meet limit load capability and we are inspecting production airplanes to ensure any issues are addressed prior to delivery,” Boeing added.

According to an internal Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) memo seen by the Wall Street Journal, the regulator could be looking at quality control errors that may have potentially lasted for 10 years.

The investigation could lead to enhanced inspections of hundreds of planes, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

“It is too early to speculate about the nature or extent of any proposed airworthiness directives that might arise from the agency’s investigation,” the FAA said. – AFP