Boeing's 787 maintenance plan approved by FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved Boeing's plan for maintenance of the new 787 Dreamliner, which should allow airlines to save money because it requires fewer maintenance tasks and allows longer intervals between aircraft checks.

Boeing claims the 787 should be 30 percent less expensive to maintain than today's comparable size aircraft.

The body of the new airplane is made from carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic composite material that doesn't corrode. And it has all-electric integrated systems designed to allow easy swapping out of individual electronic boxes.

Boeing spokesman Scott Lefeber said airlines could choose to do many routine maintenance tasks individually during the normal downtime experienced on overnight stops and between flights. With current maintenance programs, an airline can perform many of those tasks only during a scheduled operation requiring the airplane to be out of service for an extended period.

A 767 has to be taken into the mechanic's shop for five to 10 days every 18 months for a routine base maintenance check, and for three weeks every six years for a major structural check.

Lefeber said that if an airline chooses to do its 787 maintenance in such set intervals, the Dreamliner will require the base maintenance check every three years and the major structural check only once every 12 years.

Dominic Gates: 206-464-2963 or dgates@seattletimes.com