Boeing to propose 787 battery fix: Source
By MSN News with wire reports
The 50 Dreamliners in commercial service were grounded worldwide last month after a series of battery-related incidents, including a fire on board a parked plane in the U.S. and an in-flight problem on a jet in Japan.
WASHINGTON — A congressional official says Boeing will propose to federal regulators a plan to temporarily fix problems with the 787 Dreamliner's batteries that have kept the planes on the ground for more than a month.
The official said Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner is expected to present the plan to Michael Huerta, head of the Federal Aviation Administration, in a meeting later this week. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the plan.
The 787 fleet has been grounded since Jan. 16 after a battery caught fire on a plane parked in Boston and a smoking battery led to an emergency landing by another plane in Japan.
The battery fix involves increasing the space between the lithium ion battery cells, a source familiar with the U.S. company's plans told Reuters.
"The gaps between cells will be bigger. I think that's why there was overheating," said the source, who declined to be identified because the plans are private.
A spokeswoman from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board declined comment on the report or any Boeing plan to return the 787s to the air.
"The decisions to return the airplane to flight will be made by the FAA and only after Boeing has demonstrated to them that the solution is adequate," Kelly Nantel said. "We continue to investigate the cause of the short-circuiting."
A spokeswoman from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration declined to comment.
The 50 Dreamliners in commercial service were grounded worldwide last month after a series of battery-related incidents, including a fire on board a parked plane in the United States and an in-flight problem on a jet in Japan. Until the Dreamliner is cleared to fly again, Boeing will be starved of delivery payments.
The logical solution for Boeing would be to install ceramic plates between each cell and add a vent to the battery box, Kiyoshi Kanamura, a professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University who has conducted research with several Japanese battery makers, told Reuters on Tuesday.
Earlier on Wednesday, the chairman of state-run Air India said Boeing hopes to get the Dreamliner back in service by early April.
"They said that these planes should start flying again from early April. They can't be sure, but they are hopeful," Rohit Nandan said.
Air India has six Dreamliners and has ordered 21 more. The question of the airline seeking compensation from Boeing for the jet's glitches would be taken up once the aircraft are flying again, Nandan said.
"Good progress is being made," a Boeing spokesman in Seattle said in response to questions about a possible flight restart in April.
"We have been in close communication with our customers since this issue arose. The details of our conversations with customers are confidential," he added.
On Feb. 7, in its most recent official update on the Dreamliner, the NTSB said it had a "long road ahead" in its investigation of the lithium ion batteries.
Spokesmen for Japan's All Nippon Airways, which has the biggest fleet of Dreamliners, and Japan Airlines said they were unaware of the suggested April schedule.
ANA and JAL have been most affected because they own around half of the lightweight, fuel-efficient jetliners in operation, as a strategic move to win market share from their U.S. and European rivals.
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