US Aircraft Industry: Boeing could conduct 737 MAX test flight next week: reports

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), an American airplane regulator, could conduct a test flight for the Boeing 737 MAX, a critical step for recertifying the plane for service, as early as next week, according to multiple reports.

Reuters cited two people briefed of the matter as saying that a certification flight test, which is expected to last at least two days, could begin as early as Tuesday, but still hasn't been finalized.

The FAA would then need to approve new pilot training procedures and complete other steps, leading to the plane's potential ungrounding in September, the British news agency said.

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Boeing could conduct 737 MAX test flight next week: reports | News | DW | 26.06.2020

US Aircraft Industry: Boeing finds debris in 737 MAX jetliner fuel tanks

Boeing Co found debris that could pose potential safety risks in the fuel tanks of several 737 MAX aircraft that are in storage and waiting to be delivered to airlines, according to an internal memo…

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https://www.france24.com/en/20200219-boeing-finds-debris-in-737-max-jetliner-fuel-tanks

WTO upholds ruling against Washington’s tax reduction for Boeing - by Dominic Gates

The World Trade Organization (WTO) on Friday ruled that the U.S. has suitably addressed all but one piece of the European Union’s case alleging that Boeing receives illegal subsidies.

As the years-long legal process enters its final chapters, the lingering trouble lies in the biggest slice of Washington state’s aerospace tax incentives.

A WTO panel adjudicating U.S. compliance with previous rulings found that, while all other Boeing subsidies have been remedied, the state’s aerospace business tax rate reduction — worth about $800 million to Boeing since 2004 through last year — remains illegal and must still be fixed.

The ruling by the compliance panel is another legal step in an international trade dispute that has played out slowly over more than a decade: The U.S. sued the European Union in 2004 over Airbus
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The U.S. will appeal Friday’s ruling and the appeal won’t be decided for about another year. Only then might Boeing have to consider what it can do to bring the Washington state tax subsidies into WTO compliance.

U.S. government and Boeing officials spun the outcome as a victory because the other 28 state and federal funding programs challenged as subsidies in the dispute, amounting to an alleged $10.4 billion in subsidies to Boeing, have been addressed and are now resolved.

Read more: WTO upholds ruling against Washington’s tax reduction for Boeing | The Seattle Times

US Aircraft Industry: Why Boeing's 787 Dreamliner Remains a Financial Mess - by Justin Bachman

Amid all the fine financial news Boeing (BA) can tout—a record order backlog, robust profit margins, a higher profit outlook—one of the airplane maker’s dreariest performers continues to be its highest-tech, most fuel-efficient product: the 787 Dreamliner.

Boeing continues to lose money on each Dreamliner it builds. The company expects to reach the break-even point on some models turned out by its 787 program in 2015. In the most recent quarter, production costs rose again for the 787, which has become one of Boeing’s most popular models due to its lightweight carbon composite airframe and the resulting lower fuel burn. The program’s deferred production cost, an accounting measure of how efficient an assembly program becomes over time, rose 4 percent, to $25.2 billion, in the third quarter, topping the $25 billion cap Boeing had forecast for the 787 program.

Of course, Boeing officials insist the 787′s assembly costs will continue to drop over time as workers improve the efficiencies of the line and the rate at which they can build new planes. But the airplane—which suffered several delays before its 2011 introduction and then a grounding due to battery fires—remains a critical drag to the commercial airplane division’s financial performance. Wall Street analysts are ready to see black ink in the program and pressed Boeing officials repeatedly on Wednesday, Oct. 22, about how quickly the 787 can stop bleeding cash.

Read more: Why Boeing's 787 Dreamliner Remains a Financial Mess - Businessweek

Aircraft Industry: Boeing Dreamliner Batteries Need More Testing: US Safety Watchdog says

Boeing Dreamliner continues to be plagued by problems

The U.S. agency that investigates air crashes on Thursday called for lithium-ion batteries on Boeing's 787 Dreamliners to undergo more testing to ensure they are safe. 

The National Transportation Safety Board urged the Federal Aviation Administration to develop better tests for the uncontrolled overheating that led to a battery fire on a Dreamliner in 2013, require Boeing to conduct the tests, and check whether 787s, and possibly other planes, need more testing to ensure their lithium batteries are safe. 

The NTSB stopped short of calling the batteries or planes unsafe. Lithium-based batteries are widely used in cars, laptops and smartphones and have a tendency to overheat through processes that are not well understood by scientists. 

The NTSB has not yet determined a root cause for the 787 fire that occurred in Boston in January 2013. Two other 787 batteries have since overheated, one in January 2014, and regulators grounded the 787 fleet for three months last year while Boeing designed a steel containment box meant to stifle battery fires on the innovative jet. 

Boeing said it supports efforts to improve certification standards. The FAA was not immediately available to comment. 

Boeing also said the tests it conducted in overhauling the 787 battery system last year "are fully consistent with the recommendations made by the NTSB today. We therefore remain confident in the safety and integrity of the comprehensive battery solution which was developed by Boeing, and approved by the FAA, last year."

In calling for the changes before the fire investigation ends, the NTSB signaled that safety could be improved and pressed the FAA to move forward without delay.

Read more: Boeing Dreamliner Batteries Need More Testing: Safety Watchdog - NBC News.com

Japan grounds 787 Dreamliners for safety checks

Boeing Co.'s 787 planes were grounded for safety checks Wednesday by two major Japanese airlines after one was forced to make an emergency landing in the latest blow for the new jet.

Boeing shares sank lower on the NYSE on Wednesday in reaction to the news, losing more than three per cent to $74.46.

All Nippon Airways said a cockpit message showed battery problems and a burning smell was detected in the cockpit and the cabin, forcing the 787 on a domestic flight to land at Takamatsu airport in western Japan.
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The 787, known as the Dreamliner, is Boeing's newest and most technologically advanced jet, and the company is counting heavily on its success. Since its launch, which came after delays of more than three years, the plane has been plagued by a series of problems including a battery fire and fuel leaks. Japan's ANA and Japan Airlines are major customers for the jet and among the first to fly it.

Read more: Japan">http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2013/01/16/japan-dreamliner-boeing-problem.html">Japan grounds 787 Dreamliners for safety checks - Business - CBC News

US Aircraft Industry: Boeing 787 Dreamliner to be investigated by US authorities - by Gwyn Topham

Boeing's troubled 787 Dreamliner is to face a full review of its design and manufacture by the US government after two more incidents were reported – making five in five days for the model that promised to revolutionise flying.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a comprehensive review of the 787's critical systems, including the design, manufacture and assembly, but stressed its confidence in the plane's safety.

The US transportation secretary Ray LaHood said he would have "no reservation in boarding these planes and taking a flight" but admitted the administration was concerned about recent events and would be looking for the root causes.

Pilots on an All Nippon Airways (ANA) domestic flight in Japan reported a crack developing in the cockpit windscreen before landing safely on Friday, while oil was found leaking from the engine of another of the airline's Dreamliners.

 Read more: Boeing 787 Dreamliner to be investigated by US authorities | Business | The Guardian

All Nippon Airways' Dreamliner flight cancelled over brake parts - as problems pile up for Boeing

A BOEING Dreamliner flight by Japan's All Nippon Airways had to be cancelled because of a brake problem, an airport spokesman said, the third problem to hit the aircraft in as many days.

ANA 698 was cancelled because brake parts from the rear left undercarriage needed to be replaced, said the spokesman at Yamaguchi Ube airport in western Japan.

On Monday a Japan Airlines-operated 787 Dreamliner caught fire after landing in Boston on a flight from Tokyo. On Tuesday, Japan Airlines aborted a flight after around 150 litres of fuel spilled onto the runway.

The Dreamliner is touted as the great new hope for US manufacturer Boeing, which says its next-generation composite fibre body reduces weight and improves fuel efficiency.

But the string of incidents this week are only the latest in a series of glitches for the aircraft.

In July last year, test engine trouble was the subject of a probe by the US National Transportation Safety Board.

On July 23, Japan's All Nippon Airways said it was grounding five Dreamliners for repairs because of a defect in the Rolls-Royce engine.

In February, Boeing said around 55 Dreamliners were at risk of developing a fuselage problem.

Dow Jones Newswires reported that electrical problems prompted an emergency landing in New Orleans by a United Continental Dreamliner flight recently.

Read more: All Nippon Airways' Dreamliner flight cancelled over brake parts | News.com.au