WASHINGTON — Federal regulators said Monday they are satisfied with changes Boeing has made in the production of its 787 Dreamliner passenger jet, clearing the way for the company to resume deliveries to airline customers “in the coming days.”
The Federal Aviation Administration announcement confirmed reports late last month and came days after the agency's acting chief met with safety inspectors who oversee Boeing.
The FAA said acting Administrator Billy Nolen wanted to hear about steps Boeing has taken to fix manufacturing problems and ensure independence for Boeing employees who work with regulators.
Production of the big, two-aisle 787 has been marred by several problems including gaps between panels of the carbon-composite skin, and use of unapproved titanium parts from a supplier in Italy. Those issues prevented Boeing from delivering any of the planes for most of the last two years, and about 120 have been parked while Boeing tried to fix the production process.
Boeing has maintained that none of the issues raised immediate safety concerns.
It is not clear how long it will take Boeing to deliver all 120 backlogged planes, which were built at factories in Washington state and South Carolina.
The FAA said it will inspect each plane before it is approved for delivery.
“We expect deliveries to resume in the coming days,” the FAA said.
Shares of Boeing Co., which is based in Arlington, Virginia, were up 1.8% in afternoon trading Monday.