International Flights on Chopping Block From Dreamliner Delays

Boeing's production woes with its upcoming 787 Dreamliner have caused another unforeseen issue for customers, as American Airlines announces their cut backs on international flights in the summer of 2022.

The largest carrier in the United States expected to have some of the next generation, top of the line airliners nearly a year ago, with their fleet in place to accept the new aircraft the second they were available. Of course, like so many lessons learned in our new, cost-cutting just-in-time economy, when things go wrong, the knock-on effects travel far and wide.

The sacrificial lambs are Hong Kong; Edinburgh, and Shannon of Ireland. Those locations are currently cut altogether, and China's Shanghai and Beijing will see a reduced flight schedule, according to a leaked internal memo. American Airlines won't bring its flights to Prague or Dubrovnik, Croatia like it has in seasons past, and a prospective route to Bangalore, India will remain on (its originally pandemic-induced) hold indefinitely. The post COVID recovery for the company planned on using the flagship Dreamliner as a highlight of its long-haul routes, originally aiming for nearly 90% of its 2019 flight schedule. Instead, the lack of the 8 aircraft it expected earlier this year has dropped that target to a less-inspiring 80% capacity.

Unfortunately as always, the airline industry's logistics are large, unwieldy, and expensive in contrast to its often mercurial, fickle, and temperamental market. No one can always plot ahead exactly how much demand to plan for months in advance, especially as some governments eyeball increased restrictions among fresh coronavirus variants. The Dreamliners had initially been held up for months due to titanium parts being underspec in some instances, but as their expected November ship date neared, additional issues arose. The carbon fiber used throughout the wings, fuselage, and tail were said to be contaminated in some units, as well as being out-of-tolerance to the point of leaving gaps throughout the aircraft's joints. The FAA memo mentioned that as many as 1,000 of the aircraft could be affected, though not subject to grounding, nor an issue expected to affect safety-of-flight.

Boeing has had a rough go of things in recent years, and the Dreamliner becoming squared away would be an appreciated holiday miracle. Recently, the company saw good news with their 737 Max being approved by the CAAC in China. Rumors in the industry have passed around indicating that some Dreamliner customers could walk away from the deal should their delivery date pass over a year late, an unlikely occurrence that surely resides in Boeing Executives' nightmares as the trigger of a preference cascade. American still looks forward to receiving their 787s, however, with one airline executive saying the company still has "great confidence in the Dreamliner."

FMI: www.americanairlines.com