Boeing elects to conduct inspections on 787s before flying

Boeing [NYSE:BA] recently identified a workmanship issue with the 787's horizontal stabilizers. Some airplanes have issues with improperly installed shims and the torque of associated fasteners. This finding requires inspection of all airplanes and rework if discrepancies are found.

An inspection and rework plan already is implemented for airplanes in production. For those airplanes requiring rework, we expect it will take up to eight days for each airplane. It is not unusual for these issues to arise in the course of production programs – they are identified, dispositioned and dealt with through our normal processes.

Reports that the fleet is "grounded" are incorrect. Boeing has made the decision to inspect the horizontal stabilizers on all flight test airplanes before their next flights to ensure any rework is completed as quickly as possible. Inspections are expected to take one to two days.

We expect that this issue will be addressed within the existing program schedule. The 787 remains on track for first delivery to ANA by the end of this year.