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Why A Boeing 787 Or Airbus A350 Tail Strike Means Weeks In The Hangar While A 777 Does Not
News30 June 2026

Why A Boeing 787 Or Airbus A350 Tail Strike Means Weeks In The Hangar While A 777 Does Not

The Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 use carbon-fiber-reinforced composite materials for roughly 50% of their airframe by weight, making tail strike damage harder to detect and repair than on metal-fuselage aircraft like the Boeing 777, as illustrated by an Air France A350 that required nearly ten months of repairs after a 2024 tail strike in Toronto. For the carbon fiber composites sector, the article highlights that barely visible impact damage, complex non-destructive inspection requirements, and process-sensitive repair procedures drive significant maintenance downtime and cost, underscoring the need for advanced damage detection and repair capabilities in aerospace composite applications.