Final word on when the aircraft could take to
the skies again would come from the U.S. FAA
With the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Friday
giving enough hints that investigations into the grounding of B-787 Dreamliners
could take some time, Air India’s dream of a turnaround with this latest
state-of-the-art Boeing fleet could turn into a nightmare with all its six
Dreamliners likely to remain grounded for weeks or even months.
A transcript of the briefing by the NTSB, available with The Hindu ,
indicates that fire erupted in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Boston earlier this
month due to thermal runway and short-circuiting in the lithium-ion battery.
“Here are findings to date. Fire was present. There are signs of thermal
runaway and of short-circuiting,” NTSB chairperson Deborah Hersman told
reporters in Washington. All the 50 Dreamliners operating around the world,
including the six owned by Air India, were grounded after the Boston incident.
Thermal runaway is an uncontrolled chemical reaction between electrolyte and
electrode that occurs at high temperatures and is uncontrollable, she said.
Ms. Hersman refused to give a deadline for investigations to be wrapped
up. However, the NTSB said the order to ground the aircraft had come from U.S.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and any final word on the aircraft taking
to the skies again would have to come from them only.
In a related statement, Boeing welcomed the progress being made in the
investigation. “The regulatory and investigative agencies in the U.S. and Japan
have dedicated substantial resources to these investigations, and we appreciate
their effort and leadership,” it said in a statement. “Boeing continues to
assist the NTSB and the other government agencies in the U.S. and Japan
responsible for investigating two recent 787 incidents.”
On the other hand, the bad news continues for Air India whose top
management was hoping that this drama would end within days. However, with the
investigators still probing various angles and the probe nowhere near
completion, the national carrier is likely to face a tough road ahead.
Officials in the Aviation Ministry and AI said, with all the six Dreamliners
being grounded and Airbus 777s being used in various routes, the airline’s fuel
bill went up between Rs. 30 lakh to Rs. 50 lakh a day. Besides, it has also
upset its utilisation schedules and marred the launch of new services to Dubai
and Australia.
Though the cash-strapped carrier is talking about compensation for the
commercial losses, the prolonged grounding of the Dreamliners is likely to push
it into the red.
Air India is the only company to have ordered B787 along with Jet
Airways. Apart from the six aircraft already received, it was to receive two
more by March this year besides another six until March 2014. As per the
original delivery plan, the airline would have had a total of 14 Dreamliners in
its fleet by March next year, a major factor in its turnaround plans.
Such has been the impact of grounding of Dreamliners that Air India has
been forced to combine the Mumbai-Singapore and Chennai-Singapore flights using
an Airbus 330. The Mumbai passengers to Singapore will now have to stop at
Chennai, which many do not like. Air India has also had to cancel its
five-times-a-week service between Delhi and Tokyo. But it has continued to
serve the two overseas destinations through B 777 LRs on Paris and Frankfurt
routes.
· Final
word on aircraft resuming flight will come from U.S. Federal Aviation
Administration
· Fire
believed to have erupted in Dreamliner due to short-circuiting and thermal
runway
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