Italy Opens New Quiz Into Boeing 787 Parts Supplier MPS

Prosecutors in southern Italy have opened an investigation into the supply of parts to Boeing by Manufacturing Process Specification (MPS), a company at the center of the latest snags on the 787 Dreamliner, three people familiar with the matter said, Francesca Landini reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner touching down at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

According to two sources with direct knowledge of the investigation and another briefed on the probe, the move aims to verify whether components were flawed and could pose safety risks - a prospect denied by Boeing and MPS' lawyer.

It is the second probe involving Brindisi-based MPS, which is already under court administration amid an ongoing investigation into the bankruptcy of a predecessor company, and follows the intervention of an anonymous whistleblower, the sources said.

Last month, Boeing said some titanium 787 Dreamliner parts provided by MPS via Italian group Leonardo had been improperly manufactured over the past three years.

It said the issue - one of several production-related problems that have plagued the wide-body jetliner - does not affect the immediate safety of flights.

The issues facing MPS highlight aerospace's reliance on a dispersed and sometimes fragile global supply chain.

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