Operators
of Boeing's much-heralded 787 Dreamliner have grounded the new planes after the
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration directed United Airlines to
"temporarily cease operations" of that aircraft and recommended
aviation authorities in other countries issue similar orders. The directive
follows a string of mechanical problems that led to battery failures, smoke and
an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways B787. United, currently the only
U.S. operator of the Dreamliner, has six in its fleet.
"United
is complying with the airworthiness directive and will work closely with the
FAA and Boeing on the technical review as we work toward restoring 787 service,"
according to an airline spokesperson. "We are accommodating customers on
alternate aircraft."
"Before
further flight, operators of U.S.-registered Boeing 787 aircraft must
demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration that the batteries are
safe," according to an FAA statement, which added that it would work
"to develop a corrective action plan to allow the U.S. 787 fleet to resume
operations as quickly and safely as possible."
In
addition to United and ANA, which has 17 Dreamliners, the other operators of
the airplane are Air India, Ethiopian Airlines, Japan Airlines, Lan, LOT Polish
and Qatar Airways. According to Boeing, those carriers in aggregate have taken
delivery of 51 Dreamliners. A total of nearly 850 B787s have been ordered since
2004 by airlines around the world, including Air Canada, Air New Zealand,
American Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.
Lan
said it "will temporarily suspend the operation of its three Boeing 787
aircraft." According to Reuters, Qatar Airways, which has orders for
dozens of Dreamliners, did likewise for its current operating fleet of five.
Other media outlets have reported that all other operators have followed suit.
ANA
and Japan Airlines already had grounded their 787 fleets. As a result, JAL told
customers that certain scheduled flights through Jan. 25 have been canceled,
including one daily frequency each way between Tokyo Narita and Boston, Narita
and San Diego, and Tokyo Haneda and Singapore.
Meanwhile,
JAL partners American Airlines and British Airways are offering customers the
option to change plans "should they prefer not to travel on a Boeing 787
aircraft."
According
to a statement from Boeing president and CEO Jim McNerney, the aircraft
manufacturer "is committed to supporting the FAA and finding answers as
quickly as possible. We will be taking every necessary step in the coming days
to assure our customers and the traveling public of the 787's safety and to
return the airplanes to service."