(OED Acting Director Steve Johnson stands in the back row, fourth from the left, during a recent tour of the Boeing 787 line with a group of Seattle community leaders.)

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Boeing expanded type inspection authorization (TIA) Tuesday, clearing the way for its personnel to fully participate in future test flights and for the collection of required flight-test data. Initial TIA was granted Feb. 11, which supported the collection of flutter certification data.

The expanded TIA marks the FAA’s confirmation that the airplane and team are ready to collect additional certification data. Boeing achieved the expansion by demonstrating the readiness of the airplane throughout a variety of speeds, altitudes and configurations.

“This TIA expansion is another significant step toward delivering airplanes to our customers. We remain on track to deliver the first airplane to ANA (All Nippon Airways) this year,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program, Commercial Airplanes.

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