Exclusive-Boeing supplier dispute has halted 777 freighter production for two months, sources say

By Dan Catchpole SEATTLE, Oct 23 (Reuters) Boeing s dispute with a small Florida-based supplier has halted production of its 777 freighter for nearly two months and disrupted output of the 767, including freighters and KC-46 aerial refueling ​tankers, according to Boeing workers and court filings. Boeing filed a complaint ‌in August alleging supplier Vaero had stopped delivering a critical wing component known as the trailing-edge rib kit, stalling work at the Everett, Washington, wing-production facility that supports the 777 freighter and 767 programs, according to a copy of the complaint reviewed by Reuters. The disruption was costing Boeing ‌as ​much as $6.5 million a day, the complaint said. Boeing said ⁠in the complaint that the ⁠trailing-edge rib kit was an indispensable part and Vaero was the sole supplier. Although the companies reached a settlement in late September, production of the 777 freighter has yet to resume, according to three Boeing workers familiar with the mat