FAA to review Boeing 787

The Federal Aviation Administration this morning announced a comprehensive review of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner -- including the company’s plant in North Charleston -- in light of a series of recent incidents.

The review will focus on the technologically advanced jet’s extensive electric system but will not be limited to any one aspect of the program or any one of the recent glitches, according to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

“We want to see the entire picture and we do not want to focus on individual events,” Huerta said.

Despite his agency’s decision to undertake an open-ended look at Boeing’s prize jet program, Huerta emphasized that the 787 is safe to fly.

“Nothing we have seen would indicate that this airplane is not safe,” he said. “If we identify a safety problem, we are going to take appropriate action.”

The two latest issues involved a cracked cockpit window and an oil leak Friday on an All Nippon Airways 787, Aviation Week reported today.

Boeing conceived of the 787 more than a decade ago, but technical issues and hiccups in its unprecedented international supply chain delayed its entry into passenger service by more than 3 years.

Boeing also assembles the planes in Everett, Wash. The problems reported with the planes have been with aircraft assembled there.