The Boeing 787 Dreamliner Has Serious Quality Issues, According To Report

A new investigative documentary by Qatari news channel Al Jazeera has raised serious concerns regarding the quality of Boeing’s latest and greatest passenger aircraft – the much talked about Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In the documentary titled “Broken Dreams: The Boeing 787,” workers at a factory where the aircraft is made openly talk about their worries about the lowering of quality standards by the company in order to meet deadlines.

The investigative report was created after a Boeing employee based out one of two Boeing 787 Dreamliner factories contacted Al Jazeera with his concerns regarding the safety of the Aircraft. The aircraft, incidentally, has been in the news for various failures over the course of its three-year life as a commercial jet. The worst phase of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was when the entire fleet of the aircraft – worldwide — was grounded for over three months following two separate incidents of battery related fires.

The identity of the whistleblower employee of Boeing has been kept a secret for obvious reasons. The documentary also features several hidden camera interviews with Boeing employees who also seem disillusioned with the level of quality that goes into the making of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Several employees, when asked if they would ever fly this aircraft, respond with an emphatic no.

Here are some of the quotes from Boeing’s own employees which would make you worry every time you board a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

“I wouldn’t fly on one of these planes, because I see the quality of the fu**ing sh*t going down around here.”

“We’re not building them to fly. We’re building them to sell. You know what I’m saying?”

The whistleblower employee describes the various issues with the plane as “an iceberg” in which only 10 percent of the problems are visible and the rest remain hidden.

“I’ve seen a lot of things that should not go on at an airplane plant. It’s been eating me alive to know what I know, and have no avenue, no venue to say anything,” he tells Al Jazeera.

Another major problem that has been highlighted in the report is the fact that several Boeing employees have a drug problem and have easy access to marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs.

An internal memo that has been obtained by Al Jazeera showed that Boeing altered its quality standards following a two-year delay in the development of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Boeing has, in the meantime, responded to the report by issuing a statement that reads;

“Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplanes delivered from both South Carolina and Washington final assembly and delivery operations meet the highest safety and quality standards that are verified through robust test, verification and inspection processes.”

The report will air on Al Jazeera at the following times; Wednesday, September 10 at 2000 GMT; Thursday, September 11 at 0100 GMT and 1200 GMT, Friday, September 12 at 0600 GMT, Saturday, September 13 at 2000 GMT, and Sunday, September 14 at 0100 GMT.

Do you think you would feel safe in a Boeing 787 Dreamliner the next time you fly on one?

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