GAO: Boeing 787 fuselage wing composite safety problems

As the new Boeing 787 was delivered, on October 24th, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) pointed out in the investigation report that there are four kinds of composite materials used in the manufacture and maintenance of the 787 passenger plane used to manufacture the fuselage wing. A security risk problem.

Not long ago, the Boeing 787 passenger plane was formally delivered to the first customer, Japan's All Japan Air Transport Company (hereinafter referred to as "ANA"). However, on the 22nd, All Nippon Airways issued an airline report stating that the 787, which was originally scheduled to carry passengers on the 26th, suffered a lightning strike during flight training.

Boeing, on the other hand, has also experienced a cancellation in the Chinese market recently. China Eastern Airlines Co., Ltd. ("Eastern Airlines") announced that it has replaced 24 Boeing 787 aircraft orders with 45 737NG aircraft. Meanwhile, China Southern Airlines Co., Ltd. ("China Southern Airlines") has also announced that it will Delayed acceptance of the 787's news.

At present, when the Airbus A380 has become the focus of attention in the global aviation industry, Boeing, which should have been favored by the parties with the 787 Dreamliner, has encountered a series of discordant incidents. According to Boeing sources, it is expected that the next 787 aircraft will have more unsubscriptions in markets such as China.

Four security risks

According to the review report of the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) for Boeing 787 aircraft, the 787 has four security risks: lack of information on the active state of the aircraft composite structure; technical problems involved in the uniqueness of the composite material; and standards for maintenance. Formulation; additional staff training and maintenance center additions.

In the report, GAO believes that the several security risks involved can only determine if the current preventive measures are sufficient only after the aircraft has officially run its services. Because the 787's body is made of carbon fiber, unlike traditional aircraft, repairs must be handled specifically. Aircraft made of composite materials may encounter unique and complex problems, so it must be ensured that all possible problems have been taken into consideration at this stage.

From Boeing, the composite material used in the 787 has been used for decades in commercial aircraft. Boeing used this type of composite material on aircraft of other types, but the Boeing 787 is the first full-body airfoil. Passenger aircraft made of carbon fiber composites instead of metal materials.

The Boeing 787 currently has 800 orders worldwide, making it the fastest-selling new model for Boeing ever.

While the GAO tortured the Boeing 787's security risks, the Boeing 787 faced its first unsubscription in the Chinese market due to repeated late delivery. China Eastern issued an announcement that it cancelled 24 787 aircraft previously ordered and replaced it with 45 B737NG aircraft. Moreover, China Eastern will also turn to Airbus to purchase 15 Airbus A330 series aircraft. It is understood that this series of aircraft is similar to the 787 positioning in the seat and voyage.

Previously, Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, and Shanghai Airlines signed a framework agreement with Boeing to order 60 787 aircraft.

Randy Tinseth, vice president of Boeing’s market operations, said that unwinding after adjusting the aircraft’s delivery date is predictable and Boeing will increase production efficiency as soon as possible. Orders for the 787 will surely become more and more, but the company also expects more unsubscription events.

Boeing people in China said that Chinese airlines have always liked to act in unison. After China Eastern Airlines unsubscribes, it is very likely that other airlines will follow suit.

In fact, before CEA announced its cancellation, Air India also announced the cancellation of 27 787 aircraft. Moreover, China Southern Airlines also reported news that it was disappointed with Boeing's repeated delay in delivery of the 787 and requested Boeing to pay compensation for the delay in delivery.

Increased competitive pressure

When Boeing suffered a delay in delivery and security threats, its old rival Airbus continued to press hard with the Big Mac A380. A number of industry insiders said that the negative impact of delayed delivery of the 787 aircraft has become more and more obvious. If Boeing does not reach the output of 10 per month as soon as possible, it will bear even greater pressure.

According to Boeing, at present, its 787 aircraft can only produce and assemble 2 aircraft per month, and it is expected that it will reach the level of 10 aircraft per month by 2013.

At the same time, in terms of single-aisle models, after Airbus introduced the A320 NEO of the A320 last year, orders for the aircraft have exceeded 1,000, and even a new customer, American Airlines, has appeared on its customer list. Boeing, on the other hand, did not see any action. In addition to announcing that it would update the engine of its single-channel model 737, it was barely regarded as adding a new member, the 737MAX, to the 737 series.

Boeing said that 737MAX fuel consumption is 16% lower than existing competitive models, and 4% lower than future competitive models. The operating cost advantage reaches 7%. Despite this, it failed to stop Dubai Aerospace’s decision to cancel 32 737 aircraft orders.

On the other hand, the emergence of China Commercial Aircraft Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "China Commercial Aircraft") has also aggravated Boeing's headaches.

On the 19th of this month, COMAC signed 45 orders for C9 *** passenger planes in Beijing, plus 100 orders from the previous Zhuhai Airshow. At present, the scheduled target for the C919 aircraft has been basically completed this year. The customers include Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, China National Bank Financial Leasing Co., Ltd., General Electric Commercial Aviation Service Company, and ICBC Leasing. The industry believes that the future market share of COMAC will not be lower than Boeing and Airbus.

Boeing has always occupied a dominant position in the Chinese market. However, with the continuous catch-up of Airbus in recent years, as of the end of August this year, a total of 717 Airbus aircraft were operating in China, which accounted for 46% of the total number of active planes of more than 100 seats. According to the plan of China COMAC, the C919 aircraft will occupy a one-third market share in the Chinese market in the next decade or two.