Tag Archives: japan airlines

Boeing vows to continue production of Dreamliner

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Boeing vows to continue production of Dreamliner

By Ian Taylor

 

Boeing vows to continue production of DreamlinerBoeing intends to deliver more than 60 Dreamliners to airlines this year despite the aircraft being grounded since mid-January by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

That may offer little comfort to Thomson Airways as it awaits delivery of its first 787 next month.

The FAA grounded the aircraft following a fire on a Japan Airlines 787 at Boston and an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways (ANA) 787 in Japan.

Boeing has suspended deliveries while investigations proceed in the US and Japan, focused on the lithium-ion batteries used as part of the 787’s power system.

However, Boeing chairman and chief executive Jim McNerney said yesterday: “Production of the 787 continues as planned. We remain confident in the integrity of the programme and the safety of the aircraft.”

He told analysts: “We will get to the bottom of this and restore confidence.”

McNerney was speaking as Boeing presented full year results and guidance for 2013, with the company reporting 2012 was its second-best year ever for orders and deliveries.

However, he did so as the two Japanese carriers involved revealed they had repeatedly changed the 787 batteries which are the focus of investigation.

ANA said it had changed the batteries 10 times because of problems in advance of the emergency landing this month.

McNerney refused to comment on speculation the aircraft could be grounded for an extended period as investigators have so far failed to identify the cause of the problem.

He said: “We can’t predict the outcome. We are making progress. We have every expert in the world looking at this issue. Our plan is to continue production of the 787.

“I can’t talk about particulars of the investigation. But I am confident we will identify the root cause of these incidents. When we have the answer we will act on it.”

Thomson Airways, part of Tui Travel, is awaiting news of the investigation with special interest. It is set to be the first UK airline to operate the 787 and was due to take delivery of its first Dreamliner in late February.

Boeing declined to comment on deliveries to specific customers, but a February delivery appears highly unlikely.

McNerney said: “We are limited in what we can say. We deeply regret the impact on customers.”

Thomson has also declined to comment on the delivery date until it receives notification of any changes from Boeing.

However, McNerney revealed Boeing plans to increase production of the 787 from the current five a month to seven a month by mid-2013 and to 10 a month by the end of the year.

FAA grounds 787 Dreamliners

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FAA grounds 787 Dreamliners

By Kate Rice
The FAA grounded Boeing’s much-anticipated but beleaguered 787 Dreamliner Wednesday night to address a potential battery fire risk in the planes.

The FAA’s action came after an All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines grounded their 787s after two incidents involving lithium batteries. An ANA plane had to make an emergency landing in Takamatsu Airport in Japan Wednesday after pilots reportedly smelled a smoke-like odor in the cabin and a battery warning light flashed on. A lithium battery is a suspect in a fire last week in a JAL plane parked in Boston.

Both ANA and JAL, which have 17 and 11 of the planes, respectively, grounded their 787s after the ANA incident. Both airlines issued apologies to their customers in announcements about the groundings on their websites.

United Airlines is the only U.S. carrier operating the 787 and has six of the planes. One was in the air Wednesday night when the FAA announced its emergency airworthiness directive.

“This is way beyond just normal teething problems,” said Darryl Jenkins, aviation analyst with the Aviation Consulting Group.

Jenkins said that switching out six planes would probably have little impact on United’s scheduling but the number of 787s in the ANA and JAL fleets could prove more problematic.

The FAA said that it will work with both Being and affected airlines to develop a plan to allow the 787 to return to the skies “as quickly and safely as possible.”

The FAA said that the battery failures resulted in release of flammable electrolytes, heat damage, and smoke, which could cause damage to critical systems and structures. It had already ordered a comprehensive review of the 787’s critical systems last Friday.

In addition to reviewing the aircraft’s design, manufacture and assembly, the agency also will validate that 787 batteries and the battery system on the aircraft are in compliance with the special condition the agency issued as part of the aircraft’s certification.

Fourth Dreamliner incident after US probe announced

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Fourth Dreamliner incident after US probe announced

Jan 14, 2013

Fourth Dreamliner incident after US probe announced

A fourth problem in a week affecting the new-generation Boeing 787 Dreamliner has emerged.

Japan Airlines reported a 100-litre fuel leak in a 787 during an inspection in Toyko yesterday.

The aircraft reportedly was the same one that had a fuel leak in Boston last Tuesday, which saw its flight aborted after around 40 gallons of fuel spilled onto the runway, according to theAFP news agency.

A Japan Airlines-operated 787 Dreamliner caught fire after landing in Boston on a flight from Tokyo a week ago as the aircraft sat empty of passengers on the tarmac. It took firefighters 40 minutes to put out the blaze.

All Nippon Airways cancelled a Dreamliner flight on Wednesday because of a brake problem, which was the third glitch to hit the next-generation aircraft in as many days.

Boeing has insisted that the 787’s problems are no worse than what it experienced when its 777 was new in the mid-1990s.

The US Federal Aviation Administration announced on Friday that it would conduct a comprehensive review of the design, manufacture and assembly of the Boeing 787 after recent incidents.

However, transportation officials said there was nothing in the data the agency had seen to suggest the aircraft was not safe to fly.