- 77 Boeing 787 aircraft affected worldwide
- Directive AD 2026-17-02 effective 1 October 2026
- Issue concerns excessive shim gaps in wing structure
- Air India has largest concentration with nine aircraft
- Boeing corrected production process in 2019
The United States Federal Aviation Administration has ordered repetitive inspections of certain B787-8, B787-9 and B787-10 aircraft after Boeing identified manufacturing errors that could lead to fatigue cracking in the primary wing structure. Directive AD 2026-17-02 has taken effect on 1 October 2026. The issue concerns potentially excessive shim gaps and preload forces at lower side-of-body splice plates adjoining the lower outboard wing skins.
The FAA has warned that cracks could form around the fastener holes and, if undetected, weaken the structure below its required load capability. Operators must conduct repeated ultrasonic and, depending on the configuration, detailed inspections of the affected wing structures, with repairs required where cracking is found. Boeing’s requirements bulletin, issued in August 2025, has identified 77 affected aircraft worldwide: forty-nine B787-8s, twenty-seven B787-9s and one B787-10. According to the FAA, 17 of these are US-registered.
ch-aviation analysis of the effectivity list against current fleet records has shown that Air India has the largest concentration, with nine affected B787-8s, while American Airlines, Qatar Airways and United Airlines each have seven of the affected aircraft. Boeing has told Bloomberg that it identified an outdated shim measurement method in 2019, corrected the production process and issued updated operator guidance in August 2025. The manufacturer has confirmed that the affected aircraft can continue normal operations.
