Boeing has slammed an Al Jazeera English documentary on the 787 Dreamliner, which made the shocking allegation that workers at the production plant are too scared to fly on the plane they were building, calling it “biased and a distortion of facts”.

The documentary titled "Broken Dreams: The Boeing 787," also includes unauthorised recordings of workers complaining about serious safety issues with the 787 Dreamliner jet and alleged drug use on site.

"We have not been afforded the opportunity to view the full program, but the promotional trailer and published media reviews suggest that what has been produced is as biased a production as we have seen in some time," Boeing said in a statement.

"It is unfortunate that the producers of this television program appear to have fallen into the trap of distorting facts, relying on claims rejected by courts of law, breathlessly rehashing as 'news' stories that have been covered exhaustively in the past and relying on anonymous sources who appear intent only on harming The Boeing Company," it said.

According to a preview piece by Al Jazeera, a whistleblower from the assembly lines of the Boeing factory at Charleston, South Carolina contacted them to share his concerns about the Dreamliner. The media outlet then conducted an investigation where they gained access to the Charleston plant.

The anonymous worker claims that “with all the problems reported on the 787, there’s 90 per cent that’s getting swept away” and “hushed up”.

“I’ve seen a lot of things that should not go on at an aeroplane plant,” he continues. “It’s been eating me alive to know what I know, and have no avenue, no venue to say anything.”

The worker secretly filmed conversations held inside the plant, asking 15 of his colleagues if they’d fly on the jet they built. Ten said they wouldn’t.

The Dreamliner has been plagued with issues over the past few years, culminating in the grounding of its entire fleet last year when faulty batteries sparked fires on two jets.

The program was broadcast on Wednesday on Al Jazeera’s international channels and online in the United States (though it has not yet been scheduled on Al Jazeera America).

Boeing in its comment said: "The 787 is an outstanding airplane delivering value to our customers, but we have also talked candidly in public about its challenging development process. There are no tougher critics about our early performance than Boeing.
"When first contacted by the producers, we accommodated them in order for them to produce a fair and objective report including facilitating factory access, interviews and providing full and open responses to their questions. Unfortunately, the reporting team appears to have chosen to take advantage of our trust and openness and abused their position from the outset by deliberately misrepresenting the purpose, objective and scope of their planned coverage," it said.

The production appears to have ignored the factual information provided by Boeing and instead based the majority of its reporting on unnamed sources pursuing their own agendas and a disgruntled former employee engaged in a legal dispute with Boeing, the statement said.

"In one instance, the producers resorted to ambush tactics normally seen only in tabloid-style TV news. The anonymous sources the TV program depends on are clearly working with those who seek to harm Boeing and its workers. They appear to have no real interest in truth, safety or better informing the public," it said.

"Furthermore, the program presents a false impression of Boeing South Carolina and the quality of work performed there. Airplanes, whether delivered from South Carolina or Washington, meet the highest safety and quality standards that are verified through robust test, verification and inspection processes. Our data of the current 787 fleet in service show parity in the quality and performance of airplanes manufactured in both locations," Boeing said.