787 Dreamliner is currently causing problems for Boeing again

Ten years ago Boeing delivered its first 787 "Dreamliner" long-haul jet - after major start-up difficulties and multiple postponements, the US aircraft manufacturer reached a milestone. The model is currently causing problems for the Airbus rival again: Due to technical defects, many 787s have not been available to customers for months. As a result, Boeing even had to cut production in July. However, it is only the latest chapter in a long series of breakdowns. Even before the first "Dreamliner" was ceremoniously handed over to the Japanese airline All Nippon Airways on September 26, 2011, Boeing had a lot of trouble with the series. The first delivery of the bearer of hope with which the Americans wanted to find their way back to business success after the great industry crisis in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks and keep their up-and-coming rival Airbus at a distance, was delayed for more than three years. But instead of securing Boeing's supremacy in the sky and becoming the symbol of a new era of ultra-modern long-haul jets with greater comfort and lower fuel consumption, the "Dreamliner" quickly developed into a billion-dollar breakdown project. Boeing initially outsourced extensive parts of the manufacturing process to suppliers, which turned out to be an expensive mistake. The group later brought some of the work back to itself because the partners were apparently unable to cope with it. Boeing had to pay dearly for the delays in the schedule - with hundreds of orders for the 787, the waiting airlines had to be compensated for a lot of money. Years of hiccups already scratched the image of the former US flagship company. The relief was correspondingly great when the first machine could finally be handed over. "Now that the aircraft is ready for delivery, the whole team can celebrate," said "Dreamliner" program director Scott Fancher in September 2011. But it should get even bigger.