Italy investigates Boeing 'unsafe components'

The two airlines from the southern Italian city of Brindisi are said to have supplied the materials for the construction of sectors 44 and 46 (two large central fuselage sections) of the Dreamliner to Leonardo-Aerostrutture. According to the Prosecutor's Office, this led to the production of aircraft parts that “have significantly lower static properties and less resistance to pressure, which affects traffic safety.”

La Stampa and other Italian newspapers reported on Saturday that pure titanium was used instead of titanium alloy in the manufacture of parts of the plane, including structural components, and the aluminum alloy used was also different from that expected. Non-conforming materials are much cheaper than standard materials.

6,000 pieces of components were confiscated

The Brindisi Prosecutor's Office announced this in the final report of its investigations against seven people and two companies. They are believed to belong to a criminal organization aiming to commit crimes ranging from attacks on road safety, environmental pollution and economic fraud.

Investigations led to the confiscation of approximately 6,000 aircraft parts, which were found to be made of a different material than those intended for them. The consultations ordered by the Brindisi Public Prosecutor's Office, and conducted by specialized technicians in the aviation sector, proved the non-compliance of at least 4,829 titanium components and at least 1,158 aluminum components, the Public Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

“Aviation safety is at risk”

Reports and investigations, also conducted through a request for international mutual legal assistance in the United States of America, revealed that some structural parts that did not meet the standard could have a long-term impact on the safety of the Boeing 787, forcing the company to make a decision. The American company is taking exceptional measures to begin a maintenance campaign for the damaged aircraft.

As part of the investigation, directors of two companies from Brindisi active in the aviation sector were accused of undermining transport safety and committing fraud in their transactions at the expense of Leonardo-Aerostructure and Boeing, the world leader in the production of civil and military aircraft. Used to be, in mutual agreement.

Barrels containing hazardous materials

The investigation followed a previous investigation (completed in 2021) that led to the seizure of the assets of the two companies due to bankruptcy, the arrest of three and the reporting of four other suspects. 35 barrels containing hazardous waste were also discovered in the Brindisi industrial area.

Its contents are said to have contaminated the soil with environmentally harmful substances such as chromium, copper, zinc, arsenic and lead. The contaminants allegedly come from chemical surface treatment and mechanical processing of metals needed to build aircraft. A report commissioned by the Public Prosecution showed that the pollution “affected the soil at a depth of three meters, at concentrations much higher than the prescribed limits.”

Boeing is in constant crisis

Boeing has been facing an ongoing crisis since the crash of two 737 MAX medium-range planes more than five years ago. After one of the machines in the series lost a door-sized fuselage section in flight at the beginning of 2024, the FAA took a closer look at the manufacturer. It partially limited production and halted deliveries of many new machines.

About 33,000 Boeing employees have now been on strike for more than two weeks. The group recently offered to increase their salaries by 30 percent. But the workers overwhelmingly rejected the offer. The union entered negotiations demanding a 40 percent increase in income over a four-year contract period. In previous years, employees had accepted several zero-hour rounds.

Analysts estimate that Boeing lost approximately $3.4 billion in cash in the third quarter. In the first half of the year, the company had already burned more than eight billion dollars because it was forced to reduce production of its most famous model, the 737 Max, due to production defects. According to many analysts, the strike is likely to cost the company about $1.5 billion per month.