With the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) 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,” theNTSB chairman Deborah Hersman told
reporters in Washington. All 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 by when the investigations
would be wrapped up. However, the NTSB said the order to ground the Dreamliners
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 Air India said that with all six
Dreamliners being grounded and Airbus 777s being used in various routes, their
fuel bill went up between Rs. 30 to Rs. 50 lakh per 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 aircrafts 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 in 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 on thermal
runway
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/a-long-nightmare-for-air-india-as-dreamliner-probe-may-take-time/article4355553.ece
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