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The FAA said Boeing is inspecting all 787 airplanes still within the production system and must also create a plan to address the in-service fleet.

“Extensive and rigorous testing of the fuselage and heavy maintenance checks of nearly 700 in-service airplanes to date have found zero evidence of airframe fatigue,” Boeing said in a statement issued before the hearing, adding that the company was “fully confident in the safety and durability” of the plane.

More importantly, Boeing insists that extensive testing overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration and inspections of the current in-service fleet shows definitively that the gaps, which exist in nearly 1,000 Dreamliners flying today, pose zero safety risk.

“This would not become an issue for the in-service fleet for many years to come, if ever, and we are not rushing the team so that we can ensure that analysis is comprehensive.”

In an email, the FAA’s Gregor said the damage found on the in-service 787s was “relatively minor” and that other factors besides the heat damage “would need to present themselves” for the catastrophic scenario to happen.