The FAA
review will put emphasis on the 787’s electrical systems, cover design,
manufacture and assembly
Washington/New York: The
US ordered a wide review of Boeing Co.’s latest
passenger jet, the 787 Dreamliner, citing “concern” over a spate of technical
problems in recent weeks.
Regulators said the Dreamliner remained safe to fly but a thorough
examination was needed to identify the root cause of the problems including a
fire on a parked 787 on Monday.
“There are concerns about recent events involving the Boeing 787.
That is why today we are conducting a comprehensive review,” transportation
secretary Ray LaHood told
a news conference.
The review will put an emphasis on the 787’s advanced electrical
systems and cover their design, manufacture and assembly, the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) said.
The move comes on top of a separate probe by US safety
investigators into a battery fire which caused “serious damage” to an empty Japan Airlines Co. Ltd 787 jet at
Boston airport on Monday.
Adding to incidents that have tested confidence in the world’s
first mainly carbon-composite airliner, the jet suffered a cracked cockpit
window and an oil leak on separate flights in Japan on Friday.
The 787 is Boeing’s newest jet and its boldest effort to
revolutionize commercial aviation by using new technology to cut the fuel cost
for operating the plane by 20%.
Each lightweight jet has a list price of $207 million.
Airlines are pleased with the savings, and have so far given the
plane their approval, both by ordering more than 800 jets and mostly sticking
by it through the current spate of troubles.
But Boeing already is far over its budget and more than three
years behind schedule in delivering Dreamliner planes.
The wide-ranging review by US officials has the potential to deal
a setback to Boeing’s newest jet, especially if it leads to a costly design
change.
It is also a significant test for the recently-appointed chief
executive of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, Ray Conner, who also
attended Friday’s Washington news conference.
Conner, who was previously Boeing’s commercial sales chief, said
the company was committed to making the plane as reliable as possible and that
its backup systems had been working well.
“We have complete confidence in the 787 and so do our customers,”
Conner said.
The Federal Aviation Administration wants to maintain public
confidence in the Dreamliner, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said.
LaHood said he would not hesitate to fly on a 787 himself.
Boeing confidence
A growing media storm about the 787 glitches echoes global
publicity a year ago over wing cracks on the A380 superjumbo, built by Boeing’s
European rival Airbus SAS.
The A380 has also been deemed safe to fly and few airlines have
reported a dip in bookings, but the problems are expected to end up costing
Airbus up to 500 million euros in repairs.
In both cases, everyday glitches have been swept up in the wider
storm of publicity and attracted unusual attention, along with more serious
problems.
The 787 Dreamliner made its first commercial flight in late-2011 after
a series of production delays put deliveries more than three years behind
schedule. By the end of last year, Boeing had sold 848 Dreamliners. It now has
50 in service.
Conner said the recent issues had not been caused by either
outsourcing production or boosting it too quickly.
“We have complete confidence in the 787 and so do our customers,”
he said.
The 787 makes extensive use of electrical components to perform
tasks previously carried out by heavier equipment such as hydraulics.
In India—where state-owned Air India Ltd. has taken
delivery of six Dreamliner jets and has more on order— a senior official at the
aviation regulator said there was concern at the recent spate of Dreamliner
glitches.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has not ordered any
Dreamliner checks for now, but is waiting for a safety report on Monday’s fire
from the US National Transportation Safety Board, the official said.
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