Broken Dreams: The Boeing 787, a documentary by the Al Jazeera investigative unit, alleges that workers in the company’s South Carolina plant “have little faith in the Dreamliner.” Unidentified workers allege that the schedule takes precedence over safety and quality; some say they believe other workers are taking drugs while at work, and several say they wouldn’t want to fly on the airplane. “They’re short-changing the engineering process … they’re not even allowing quality control to do their job,” says Cynthia Cole, a former Boeing engineer. “I would definitely avoid flying on a 787.” An analysis by the Seattle Times business staff says the documentary produces “more heat than light.” However, the Times adds, “The documentary does raise troubling questions and leave some matters unresolved.” The program is scheduled to premier on Al Jazeera America on cable and online Wednesday night.
The Times says a memo cited in the documentary as “proof that quality is being sacrificed to meet production targets” had been reviewed by Times staff earlier this year. The Times analysis “concluded [the memo] was not proof that safety was being compromised for production’s sake.” Boeing so far has not commented publicly on the documentary, and according to the Times, they don’t have much of a say in the program. “The company’s 787 chief, Larry Loftis, makes a brief interview appearance with the documentary makers before his PR manager stops the discussion, after the allegations of unnamed employees are brought up,” according to the Times.
In a statement posted online Wednesday afternoon, Boeing said the documentary “is neither balanced or accurate” and added: “We have not been afforded the opportunity to view the full program, but the promotional trailer and published media reviews suggest that what has been produced is as biased a production as we have seen in some time.” Boeing said the documentary’s producers “have fallen into the trap of distorting facts, relying on claims rejected by courts of law, breathlessly rehashing as ‘news’ stories that have been covered exhaustively in the past and relying on anonymous sources who appear intent only on harming The Boeing Company.” The company also called the program a “disservice” to Boeing’s employees and suppliers. The company said it won’t provide any further comment on the matter. The full text of Boeing’s statement is posted online.
