A dispute with supplier Vaero halted Boeing’s 777 freighter production for nearly two months and disrupted 767 output. Boeing’s court complaint said the disruption was costing as much as $6.5 million a day; production had not resumed after a late-September settlement, workers said.
A dispute with Florida-based supplier Vaero halted production of Boeing’s 777 freighter for nearly two months and disrupted output of the 767, including freighters and KC-46 tankers, according to Boeing workers and court filings. Boeing alleged in an August complaint that Vaero had stopped delivering a critical wing component, the trailing-edge rib kit, and said the disruption was costing as much as $6.5 million a day.
Boeing and Vaero reached a settlement in late September, but 777 freighter production had not resumed, three Boeing workers said. Boeing removed two partially assembled 777 freighters from its final assembly line and is trying to bring production of the rib kit in-house, according to workers. Boeing has received some parts for the 767 line since the settlement. The 777X was not affected because it uses composite wings. Boeing has delivered 21 777 freighters so far this year, and workers said a handful with wings assembled before the dispute could still be delivered before year-end.
