Boeing's resumption of 787 de-liveries is a significant step in what the manufacturer expects to be a long process of correcting production-quality issues on more than 80 aircraft in its inventory that face inspection and likely repair to meet certification standards before entering service. FAA personnel stepped in to inspect the initial aircraft handed over once deliveries resumed March 26. The agency said on March 17 it was "taking a number of corrective actions" in response to production issues flagged by Boeing. The most prevalent issue is fuselage joins that are not smooth enough along the inner mold line, or interior skin surface. The microscopic wrinkles cause tiny gaps to be left when a section with the problem is mated with another section. A separate issue involves incorrect shim sizes meant to fill gaps between subassemblies that are a normal part of assembling fuselages.
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