Boeing to repair some 787s over fuselage issue

Boeing will be forced to make repairs on some 787s after discovering a problem with the aft fuselage.

A manufacturing defect related to the aft fuselage of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner will force the US planemaker to repair some aircraft but won’t affect plans to ramp up production, Boeing said in a statement this week.

Boeing declined to say how many aircraft were affected by the problem, which the company said resulted from “incorrect shimming performed on the support structure” of some 787s.

The composite built, fuel efficient 787 entered service late last year, three years behind schedule. Boeing aims to ramp up monthly production to 10 aircraft per month by the end of 2013. A company spokesman told Reuters that the fuselage problem would not impact those plans and presented no short term safety risk.