Boeing repairs cracked stringers on new Air Force One 747-8s

Boeing is repairing structural components on the two Boeing 747-8 aircraft being converted into the next Air Force One fleet, after hundreds of microscopic cracks were found in them, according to a Bloomberg report cited by industry media.

The affected parts are stringers, longitudinal reinforcing members. Boeing is replacing the cracked ones under procedures required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Boeing has said the defects do not currently pose a safety concern for the aircraft. Still, the repair work adds another complex task to a conversion program that has already seen delays and technical setbacks.

The program has racked up more than $3 billion in cost overruns for Boeing, which is contractually bound to absorb most of those costs under a fixed-price agreement with the US government. The overruns, along with repeated schedule slips, have drawn scrutiny from officials overseeing delivery of the next presidential aircraft.

No timeline was given for when the stringer repairs would be finished or how they might affect the overall delivery schedule of the two jets. They are meant, eventually, to replace the current, decades-old Air Force One fleet.