Originally Posted by
Fly Aiprt
I beg to differ : both category of aircraft have been built and flown under the same C of A. The fact that some were to be delivered - as opposed as had already been delivered - doesn't change the issue.
Where do you draw the line ?
Some of the 'undelivered' aircraft are already owned by client airlines.
Or do you make a difference because some have already flown passengers ?
In short, you're wrong. Every new aircraft gets approved - "ticketed" - by the FAA before it can be delivered - and it's done on an aircraft by aircraft basis. An aircraft can't be ticketed if there is an outstanding AD that hasn't been complied with, so by definition the hundreds of aircraft Boeing has sitting around Boeing Field, Moses Lake, etc. have
not been ticketed (note, there may be a handful of aircraft that were ticketed but not delivered when the grounding took effect, but only a few). It's this pre-delivery approval ('ticket') that the FAA will be withholding pending further inspection - which is their prerogative.
However, any aircraft that has been delivered has - again by definition - been ticketed. Once ticketed (even if it's later determined to have been ticketed in error), an aircraft can't be 'un-ticketed'. However it can be grounded by an AD. Ticketing a new aircraft 'in error' has pretty serious repercussions for the manufacturer (I had the rather unpleasant experience of being involved in one of those).