Boeing lacks parts for Dreamliner aircraft due to anti-Russian sanctions

Boeing has faced new problems in the production of 787 Dreamliner aircraft – it lacks one of the parts due to sanctions against Russia.

Source. The Wall Street Journal writes about it.

We are talking about heat exchangers for air conditioning systems. Before the sanctions were imposed, they were made by a joint venture between Russian JSC KhS-Nauka and American RTX Collins Aerospace.

After the start of the full-scale invasion, this company closed and production was moved to factories in the US and the UK, but their capacity is not enough for Boeing's needs.

"Production has been relocated since the invasion, but this supplier's capacity has not kept pace with us," Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said in April.

This situation demonstrates how relatively simple disruptions can affect the global supply chain, the WSJ writes.

Boeing's inability to produce enough heat exchangers – a critical but relatively simple part – has meant that the company will no longer be able to produce and deliver as many Dreamliners to customers as it had planned.

Last week, Boeing said that in addition to the heat exchanger problem, there are difficulties with the production of seats for the passenger compartment, which also hinders the production of the 787 family.

Suppliers are unable to meet demand, especially for business class seats, due to a lack of materials and delays in certification.

Background. As reported, a Boeing engineer filed a complaint against the company for rejecting his claims about the safety of the 787. Instead of heeding his warnings, the company prioritised bringing the aircraft to market as soon as possible.