Boeing 777F production idle for two months: Reuters

Boeing has not built any 777 freighters for nearly two months because of a dispute with Vaero, a small supplier based in Florida. The dispute has also disrupted 767 output, including freighters and KC-46 aerial refuelling tankers. Reuters reported this in an exclusive on October 23, citing Boeing workers and court filings.

The dispute is over the trailing-edge rib kit, a wing component. In a complaint filed in August, Boeing said Vaero had stopped delivering the kits, which stalled work at its wing-production facility in Everett, Washington. Boeing called the part “indispensable” and said Vaero was its only source for it. The complaint put the cost of the disruption at up to $6.5 million a day.

Legal news site Law.com first reported the lawsuit in August. According to its reporting, Boeing alleged that without the kits it could not complete the fixed trailing edge of a 777 wing or join the wing to the fuselage. Boeing sought an injunction to force deliveries, along with damages.

The two companies settled in late September. However, three Boeing workers told Reuters that 777F production had still not restarted. One worker said the 767 line had received some parts since the settlement.

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