“We will devote all our attention to building completely new aircraft”, attempted to assure Stephanie Pope, head of Boeing’s commercial aircraft division. At the beginning of March in Everett, Boeing’s stronghold, many mechanics will be able to be transferred to the 777X program, which should lead to the launch of Boeing’s new long-haul aircraft, tasked with competing with Airbus and its A330neo and A350.
The American aircraft manufacturer can rejoice in this windfall. For five years, part of its workforce was stuck, busy with to carry out repairs on 122 787 Dreamliner aircraft following the discovery of spacing problems on the fuselage. Work on the last of the aircraft has just been completed and the operation can therefore end. The mechanics will therefore be able to return to their posts, on more usual tasks, dedicated to the future of the Boeing range.
Among the various missions, there is that of the 777X project, whose flight tests resumed this year after a five-month break due to a mechanical problem. The number of mechanics dedicated The number of 787 repairs reportedly numbered in the hundreds, and Boeing described its stranded workforce as "ghost factories," forcing traditional assembly plants to limit output.
Billions of dollars in losses
Sales of the 777X have yet to begin, but Boeing has already produced several of its new planes, and those 30 remain parked at Paine Field. Some, as Air Journal pointed out, have already blown their sixth birthday, and their delivery can only be effective after a complete overhaul.
In the meantime, the problems encountered on the 787 Dreamliners have cost Boeing dearly, and not just in terms of delays to the 777X project. The aircraft manufacturer had to interrupt production of its aircraft on numerous occasions between fall 2020 and summer 2022, causing it "abnormal costs" of $6.3 billion. As a reminder, at Following a strike action between September 13 and November 4, 2024, the aircraft manufacturer also lost more than $4 billion, for a net loss of $6.17 billion during the third quarter.
Source: Air Journal
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