Business travel: What's the big deal about Dreamliners?
Boeing is again on the back foot over its planes, hitting back at a scathing report on processes at a manufacturing plant at which it built some of Air New Zealand's Dreamliners.
The New York Times reported at the weekend that Boeing's Dreamliner plant near Charleston, South Carolina, had been plagued by shoddy production and weak oversight.
Safety lapses at the North Charleston plant have drawn the scrutiny of airlines and regulators, the Times said.
Qatar Airways stopped accepting planes from the factory after manufacturing mishaps damaged jets and delayed deliveries.
Workers have filed nearly a dozen whistle-blower claims and safety complaints with federal regulators, describing issues like defective manufacturing, debris left on planes and pressure to not report violations, according to the report.
One worker is quoted as saying he routinely found debris dangerously close to wiring beneath cockpits and had said he never planned to fly on the planes.
But Boeing overnight said the story painted a ''skewed and inaccurate picture'' and has cited statements from a number of airlines which have come to its defence.
Air New Zealand has 13 Dreamliners in its fleet, including two delivered from the Charleston plant.
The Charleston plant was set up a decade ago, partly to counter strong unions at its manufacturing base in Everett, near Seattle in Washington state.
An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said it was standard practice for Air New Zealand to have engineering oversight of any aircraft build programme and Charleston was no different.
''We had an engineering specialist embedded with the Boeing team throughout the aircraft assembly process ensuring that Air New Zealand's specifications were met at every stage.''
She said safety was paramount and non-negotiable at Air New Zealand and the airline continued to have confidence in all the 787-9 aircraft within the fleet.
The claims over the 787 come as Boeing works the through a crisis for its new model 737MAX which has flight control software that has been linked to two fatal crashes - claiming the lives of 346 in Indonesia and Ethiopia within six months of each other.
Brad Zaback, vice president and general manager of the 787 programme, said the Times article ''features distorted information, rehashing old stories and rumours that have long ago been put to rest''.
He told the 7000 workers at the Charleston plant that '' allegations of poor quality are especially offensive to me because I know the pride in workmanship that each of you pours into your work every day.''
Boeing quoted American Airlines as saying it conducted rigorous inspections of new planes before putting them into service. "We have confidence in the 787s we have in our fleet," said Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for the airline.
A Qatar Airways is quoted as saying ''it continues to be a long-term supporter of Boeing and has full confidence in all its aircraft and manufacturing facilities as a strong commitment to safety and quality is of the utmost importance to both our companies. We have over 100 Boeing aircraft in our fleet, manufactured in both Everett and Charleston, with many more to join in the coming years as part of our significant, long-term investment in the US economy."
Boeing says it has also heard from Suparna Airlines and Norwegian in response to the story.
An employee works on the tail of a Dreamliner 787 at the final assembly facility in North Charleston, South Carolina. Photo / AP
Suparna Airlines is quoted as saying: "The entire process of the aircraft delivery was very smooth. We want to thank the Boeing team in South Carolina who worked diligently with the Boeing standard and discipline to make the delivery a pleasant experience for us. The airplane has carried out more than 200 scheduled flights with total flight hours up to 500 at an operational reliability of 99.99 per cent. We are happy with the performance of our first Dreamliner."
Norwegian is quoted as saying: "We are very satisfied with the quality and reliability of all our 33 Dreamliners, regardless of where they have been assembled."
The 787 has had a good safety record after overcoming battery fire issues after the ''Seven late Seven's'' much delayed entry into service in 2011.
Rolls-Royce engine problems have hit a number of airlines, including Air New Zealand, but these are not related to how the planes are built.
When the Herald toured the Charleston plant in June, 2013, the plant was significantly upping its production to meet a backlog of orders and still facing flak from the powerful machinist's union in Seattle. Then a spokeswoman said experienced, union workers were the ones capable of coming up with fixes for aircraft problems.
''If there's a problem on an aeroplane, you want our members to fix it,'' she said.
A Boeing boss then said the workers had a legal right in any state to form a union ''but of course we don't believe they need one''.
Overnight, Kevin McAllister, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and chief executive said the 787 programme had delivered 823 airplanes to more than 76 customers since its launch.
''We test our airplanes and verify components are fully operational, and when we find a component that is not, it is replaced and tested again. This is core to our quality system, as it is for the industry."
