Boeing has begun making modifications to its B787 Dreamliner aircraft, following approval of proposed battery system improvements by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The manufacturer has not given a date for resumption of Dreamliner services, but said that the FAA approval “clears the way for us and the airlines to begin the process of returning the 787 to flight with continued confidence in the safety and reliability of this game-changing new airplane”.
Boeing also said that it will begin making changes to new Dreamliner aircraft, “with deliveries expected to resume in the weeks ahead”, adding that it “expects to complete all planned 2013 deliveries by the end of the year”.
Teams have now been deployed to locations around the world to begin the installation process, with aircraft being modified “in approximately the order they were delivered”.
The manufacturer said FAA approval had been granted “after the agency conducted an extensive review of certification tests”, designed “to validate that individual components of the battery, as well as its integration with the charging system and a new enclosure, all performed as expected during normal operation and under failure conditions”.
All 50 B787 aircraft currently in operation were grounded earlier this year, following battery incidents on two ANA Dreamliners (see online news January 17).
Boeing said that it had worked with supplier partners and organisations including the National Transport Safety Board, and the Japan Transport Safety Board, “to develop a thorough understanding of the factors that could have caused the 787’s batteries to fail and overheat in two incidents last January”.
The manufacturer said that the improved battery system “includes design changes to both prevent and isolate a fault should it occur”, with a new steel enclosure “designed to keep any level of battery overheating from affecting the airplane or even being noticed by passengers”.
Boeing's Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner said that the changes were “a comprehensive and permanent solution with multiple layers of protection”.
Boeing has so far delivered a total of 50 Dreamliner aircraft to ANA, Japan Airlines, United, Air India, Ethiopian Airlines, LAN, LOT Polish Airlines and Qatar Airways.
British Airways had been scheduled to take delivery of its first B787 aircraft in May - no announcement has so far been made by either Boeing or BA regarding a delay to this schedule. In December the carrier confirmed details of the layout of its forthcoming Airbus A380 and Boeing B787 aircraft (see online news December 11, 2012).
For more information visit boeing.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
