Boeing 747-8 May Face Airport Curbs With FAA Inspections Idled

Boeing Co.’s new 747-8, the biggest plane the company has ever built, may be able to land at fewer airports when it enters service if a deadlock persists in the U.S. Congress over funding the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA doesn’t have the money to pay workers who were inspecting airports that planned to handle the jumbo jet after a funding bill expired July 22, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said on a conference call today. That means five U.S. airports may not receive certification to handle Boeing’s new jet by the Sept. 1 deadline, he said.