By Valerie Insinna and David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Boeing confirmed on Thursday it delivered a 787 Dreamliner to German airline Lufthansa, its first since deliveries were halted in late February after it disclosed a data issue with a component.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed last month that Boeing had paused deliveries due to the data analysis error related to the jet’s forward pressure bulkhead, which the company found after reviewing certification records.
The FAA said Friday it was satisfied the issue has been resolved and approved Boeing to resume delivering 787s. Boeing is expected to deliver another 787 to American Airlines shortly, sources said.
The Lufthansa aircraft took off from Paine Field north of Seattle on Wednesday afternoon, landing in Frankfurt at 8:52 a.m. local time, flight data shows. Boeing shares rose 1.2% in early trading.
The delivery caps off a big week for the 787 program. On Tuesday, Boeing announced a much anticipated sale of 78 Dreamliners to two Saudi airlines, a deal with a list price of $37 billion that the company touted as its fifth largest commercial order by value.
Between the Saudi deal and separate orders from United Airlines and Air India, Boeing has received orders for almost 200 Dreamliners over the past four months.
The company must now drive down the risk of supply chain constraints as it seeks to ramp up 787 production from its current low rate to its target of 10 a month by the end of 2026, analysts said.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun told Reuters on Tuesday that demand for the 787 was the “biggest I’ve ever seen” and that he was confident in the company’s ability to meet its production goals.
(Reporting by Valerie Insinna and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Elaine Hardcastle)
