ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA — Boeing 787 Dreamliners hit by another manufacturing defect; near-term deliveries postponed.


Boeing issued a statement on Tuesday concerning a newly discovered flaw in its 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which will result in a temporary delay of deliveries. The manufacturer stated that the defect pertains to a fitting on the horizontal stabilizer of the plane and is classified as a "nonconforming condition".

The problem, linked to minimal spacing in the horizontal stabilizer, will not impact flight safety, according to Boeing. Planes already in service can continue to operate as usual. However, the issue will result in a delay of about two weeks for near-term deliveries.

This recent snag is the latest in a series of manufacturing difficulties that Boeing has encountered, which have slowed, and in some cases completely halted, the delivery of particular aircraft models. These issues come at a time when airlines are eagerly awaiting new planes to meet the surge in demand for travel.

Earlier this year, Boeing temporarily halted the delivery of the 787 Dreamliner due to a separate issue with a fuselage component. Despite the current problem, the company maintains that the overall annual projection for Dreamliner deliveries will not be affected. Boeing expects to deliver between 70 and 80 planes in this model range during the year.

Moreover, the manufacturer has also had to modify several of its top-selling 737 Max planes this year due to problems with fittings in some aft fuselages, produced by Spirit Aerosystems.