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its troubled 787 Dreamliner program, the planemaker said it has
submitted a certification plan to the U.S. regulator in a step
toward resuming deliveries halted for nearly a year by an
industrial snafu costing about $5.5 billion.
The 787 Dreamliner, along with the 737 MAX, are vital to the
financial health of Boeing, which is trying to bounce back from
successive crises.
It has been producing the 787 jets at a low rate while it
undertakes inspections and repairs for structural flaws amid
intense regulatory scrutiny.
Boeing has "completed the required work on initial airplanes and
is conducting check flights", Chief Executive David Calhoun
said, a development that should cheer airlines that have cut
back on flying long routes due to delivery delays.
Calhoun did not specify on Wednesday when Boeing would resume
787 deliveries. Reuters reported last week it had advised key
airlines and parts suppliers that the deliveries would resume in
the second half of this year.
Boeing also confirmed reports of a delay in handing over the
first 777X jet to 2025, but said it remains confident in the
program.
The pause in 777-9 production will help Boeing to add 777
freighter capacity starting in late 2023, Calhoun said.
Reuters reported last month that the Federal Aviation
Administration had warned Boeing that existing certification
schedules for the 737 MAX 10 and 777X were "outdated and no
longer reflect the program activities."
The planemaker said in its first-quarter earnings report that it
was on track to generate positive cash flow for 2022 as it ramps
up deliveries of 737 MAX aircraft.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle and Abhijith
Ganapavaram in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
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