North Charleston Dreamliner production to continue despite new FAA concerns

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A leak in some lavatory faucets on certain Boeing Dreamliners is the subject of new concerns by the FAA, but the company said Dreamliner deliveries will not be affected as those concerns are addressed.

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner production program is based in North Charleston.

The Associated Press reports that the Federal Aviation Administration proposed on Friday to order repetitive inspections of Dreamliners and to replace the faucet parts when leaks are found.

The agency said one airline found wet carpet in the cockpit of a plane and, when it inspected its entire fleet of 787s, found “multiple” planes with leaking faucets, according to the AP report. Regulators are concerned that the water could cause a safety hazard if it leaks into electronics.

The FAA described the extra inspections as a temporary measure while the manufacturer redesigns the faucet modules, the AP reported. After a 45-day period for comment, the inspection proposal can become a final order.  

Boeing said in a statement: “We have previously issued inspection guidance to 787 operators, and fully support the FAA’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which would make that guidance mandatory.”

Boeing in August 2022 resumed deliveries of the Dreamliner after slowing production and halting deliveries in 2021 over safety concerns for tiny cracks in the fuselage.

Related: Boeing makes first 787 delivery since 2021 > Charleston Business Journal

Related: Orders from the Gulf could mean sale of 121 Dreamliners

Since delivery of that first plane to American Airlines, the company has announced a steady stream of new contracts for the 787s, including the most recent on March 30 when EVA Air ordered five 787-9 Dreamliners. Earlier in March two Saudi Arabian airlines ordered 78 Dreamliner aircraft with options that could mean 43 additional 787s.

Built with lighter composite materials, the widebody airplanes are desired by airlines for their fuel efficiency, according to Boeing.

Boeing Co. has two campuses in North Charleston, employing about 6,500. Their workforce in the state grew by about 950 in 2022. Some of that was because deliveries resumed, but not all of it; the company added 15,000 employees around the world, Boeing said in a January news release.