A Boeing employee has claimed he was transferred from his department after raising concerns that parts of the company’s 787 Dreamliner were incorrectly fastened together and could break apart mid-flight.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was investigating the claims, which allege the manufacturer rushed through production of the plane, despite being aware of the potential faults.
Lawyers for whistleblower Sam Salehpour, an engineer, accused Boeing of “prioritising profit over safety” when manufacturing the 787, which is currently used by 92 different airlines, experts told i.
The FAA said there were also reported issues with the Boeing 777, although it did not give further details.
Boeing told i the claims about the “structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate”.
“We are fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner because of the comprehensive work done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft,” it said.
“We continue to monitor these issues under established regulatory protocols and encourage all employees to speak up when issues arise.”
Shares in the planemaker sank nearly 2 per cent on Tuesday after the FAA said it was investigating the accusations.
The embattled company has reported it has delivered only 83 planes to customers in the first three months of this year.
Aviation consultants have warned this would “inevitably” lead to flight price rises. as the supply of aircraft drops, while demand from holidaymakers appears to be remaining high.
It has come under intense pressure after a swathe of incidents in recent years, which have raised questions about the safety of its aircraft.
A Boeing 737 Max-9 operated by Alaska Airlines flying to Ontario, California, was forced to make an emergency landing after a portion of its fuselage ripped off in January, sparking a criminal investigation by the US Justice Department. In a separate incident that month, videos posted on social media captured flames coming out of a Boeing 747-8 in Miami, Florida. This came after the Boeing 737 Max passenger airliner was grounded worldwide after 346 people died in two similar crashes involving the plane in 2018 and 2019.
Whistleblower John Barnett, who worked at Boeing’s production hub in South Carolina where the 787 Dreamliner is built and raised concerns about manufacturing practices, was found dead in March with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The company’s chief executive, David Calhoun, announced last month that he would resign as head of Boeing at the end of 2024. Boeing’s chair, Larry Kellner, and the CEO of its commercial airplanes arm, Stan Deal, will also step down.
John Grant, of global travel data provider OAG, also told i: “Boeing’s brand has taken a lot of damage.
“Their financial results will be impacted as production is very limited at the moment – and other factors such as compensation will impact their results – but in the long run, the aircraft manufacturer builds very safe aircraft that have been flying in the skies for decades.
“Boeing have certainly been sloppy in some of their processes and been found out, too frequently chasing the need for cash and cutting a few corners but inherently the business.”
Debra Katz, a lawyer for Mr Salehpour, said the whistleblower repeatedly warned the firm that changes to the manufacturing process for the 787 jets threatened their integrity, but he was ignored and then transferred.
Ms Katz said: “This is the culture that Boeing has allowed to exist. This is a culture that prioritises production of planes and pushes them off the line even when there are serious concerns about the structural integrity of those planes and their production process.
“These problems are the direct result of Boeing’s decision in recent years to prioritise profits over safety, and a regulator in the FAA that has become too deferential to industry.”
Speaking about her client, Ms Katz added: “He was threatened with termination, excluded from important meetings, projects, and communication, denied reasonable requests for medical leave, assigned work outside of his expertise, and effectively declared persona non grata to his colleagues.”
The fleet of Dreamliner 787 planes has been grounded several times due to safety concerns, including a fire caused by faulty batteries, safety concerns over incorrectly sized panel gap fillers and data analysis error.
Boeing slowed production and stopped deliveries for almost two years, responding to issues that had been raised, but has recently been assembling the planes after the FAA cleared the manufacturer to resume deliveries in 2022.
At present, there are 2000 B787 aircraft flying in skies across the world, according to Mr Grant, but he told i he did not believe the planes should not be grounded as “airlines operate highest safety standards with the highest qualified staff possible, all of which is overseen by regulators.”
This story has been updated to more accurately reflect Mr Salehpour’s claims about his employment.