SIA plane among eight Boeing Dreamliners found with defect

[NEW DELHI] Boeing found two "distinct manufacturing issues" in the fuselage of 787 Dreamliner jets and has told airlines operating eight affected planes to remove them from service so they can be repaired.

The issues were found in the join of fuselage sections towards the rear of the aircraft, and as a result, the jets don't meet Boeing's design standards, the company said in a statement on Friday. Boeing said it has notified the Federal Aviation Administration and is conducting a review into the cause of the problem.

"We determined that eight airplanes in the delivered fleet are affected by both issues and therefore must be inspected and repaired prior to continued operation," Boeing said.

"We immediately contacted the airlines that operate the eight affected airplanes to notify them of the situation, and the airplanes have been temporarily removed from service until they can be repaired."

One of the affected aircraft is operated by Singapore Airlines. The jet is not in service and the carrier will work closely with Boeing on a solution, it said in a statement on Friday.

The Dreamliner, Boeing's marquee wide-body jet, experienced a series of teething problems after its 2011 debut, including a three-month global grounding in 2013 after battery meltdowns on two planes. Some others were grounded in 2018 after faulty Rolls-Royce engine blades deteriorated faster than expected. Boeing's 737 MAX hasn't flown since March 2019 following two deadly crashes blamed on flight-control software.

The Air Current reported the Dreamliner fuselage issues earlier on Friday. In addition to Singapore Airlines, it said United Airlines and Air Canada are impacted by the grounding, citing an unidentified person familiar with the situation.

BLOOMBERG