Losing track of Boeing 787 Dreamliner's failures

Updated

Boeing (BA) has already delayed the first delivery of its 787 Dreamliner several times. But today's unintended announcement that the aircraft manufacturer has actually shut down production at the plant of a supplier in Naples, Italy is causing me to lose track of the number of delays in the 787 program.

In June, Boeing announced what I counted was its fifth delay in the 787 program due to problems with composite materials where the wing joins the fuselage. But today, a June 23rd memo leaked to the press reveals that Boeing canceled production at the Naples plant because its supplier, Alenia, was making parts for the 787's mid-fuselage whose composite skin was wrinkling.

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