At least one of Air Canada’s Boeing 787s has been indefinitely grounded for what Boeing terms “two distinct manufacturing issues” in the fuselages of a total of eight Dreamliners. Boeing didn’t say specifically what the defects are but said they’re structural issues that “result in a condition that does not meet our design standards.” Singapore Airlines and United Airlines also have affected aircraft. Air Canada began flying the type about five years ago and the specific aircraft has not been identified. Whatever the problem is, it appears to be serious.
“We immediately contacted the airlines that operate the eight affected airplanes to notify them of the situation, and the airplanes have been temporarily removed from service until they can be repaired,” Boeing said in a statement. “We notified the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and are conducting a thorough review into the root cause,” the statement said. ”In addition, as part of our assessment, we determined that eight airplanes in the delivered fleet are affected by both issues and therefore must be inspected and repaired prior to continued operation.