Joe Raedle | Getty Images Boeing will resume deliveries of its 787 Dreamliners in the coming days, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday. Deliveries of the wide-body jet have been suspended for the past two years as regulators and Boeing investigated a series of manufacturing defects. The resumption of deliveries is long-awaited for Boeing and customers such as American Airlines and United Airlines, which have no new Dreamliners, as demand for travel has increased this year. Twin-aisle airplanes are often used for long-haul international routes. American could receive a new Dreamliner as early as Wednesday, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. Dreamliners are a key source of cash for Boeing, as most of the price of an aircraft is paid when it is delivered to customers, although the manufacturer has had to compensate buyers for extended delays. The company earlier this year said 787 releases, including the production drop, would cost it $5.5 billion. “Boeing has made the necessary changes to ensure the 787 Dreamliner meets all certification standards,” the FAA said in a statement Monday. “The FAA will inspect each aircraft before it is issued a certificate of airworthiness and approved for delivery.” Boeing shares jumped on the news, rising about 2% shortly after the FAA’s announcement. Boeing last month said it was nearing the finish line of resuming 787 deliveries, which CEO Dave Calhoun called “the moment we’ve been waiting for.” The company had 120 of the planes in inventory at the end of last quarter, according to a securities filing. FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen visited Boeing’s South Carolina 787 factory last Thursday and met with FAA safety inspectors about steps to improve production quality, the agency said. Among the issues discovered was tiny, incorrect spacing in some parts of the fuselage. “We continue to work transparently with the FAA and our customers to resume 787 deliveries,” Boeing said in a statement.
