by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:06 AM ET, Wed February 16, 2022
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it was not ready to return the power to approve aircraft for flight to Boeing.
According to The Associated Press, FAA officials told the airplane manufacturer it would handle final inspections and retain the power to clear each new Boeing 787 Dreamliner until the agency is confident about Boeing's quality control and manufacturing.
Boeing has been unable to deliver any new 787 planes since last May because of production flaws, and the FAA said the company must develop a plan for handling aircraft that need reworking.
The FAA announced the protocols would "allow the agency to confirm the effectiveness of measures Boeing has undertaken to improve the 787 manufacturing process."
Previously, the FAA deputized Boeing employees to act on behalf of the agency to certify the airworthiness of planes, but the practice was largely abandoned following two deadly 737 MAX crashes that left 346 people dead.
The 787 Dreamliner has been plagued by production flaws that originally halted deliveries in late 2020 and again in May. In total, Boeing has more than 100 undelivered 787s.
Last year, the FAA ordered the manufacturer to pay at least $17 million in fines related to its 737 planes.
Earlier this month, American Airlines revealed it would purchase 23 more 737-MAX 8 jets from Boeing and defer delivery of the long-delayed 787-9 Dreamliners from the airplane manufacturer.
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