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Boeing's 787 Dreamliner has finally come into service in Japan, the US, and elsewhere. The light carbon fiber body is said to provide greater fuel efficiency, making new routes possible, while the airplane has other new features such as electronically dimmable windows.
But the 787 has run into issues since making its inaugural flight, with a series of emergency landings and battery failures ultimately leading to the FAA's order to ground the plane in the US. Follow this stream for updates on Boeing's efforts to get the plane of the future back in the air.
21 updates and 969 comments below.
Apr 26 12:30p
Japan's transportation minster has announced that the country will allow the troubled 787 Dreamliner airplane to return to the skies once Boeing deploys its battery modifications, reports the Associated Press. This comes one day after the US Federal Aviation Administration gave a similar all-clear order to the 787, though the fix won't be completely deployed in Japan until June. "We have reached a conclusion that there is no problem with the judgment by the FAA," said Japanese transportation...
Apr 25 12:21p
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner will soon return to the air with passengers onboard — the Federal Aviation Administration just announced that it has lifted the airplane's flight ban following the approval of its redesigned battery system, reports Reuters. The lifting of the restriction at this point isn't a big surprise, as the FAA approved the fixes Boeing made to the 787's battery system last week, but now the plane is all clear to get back into the air. This comes after more than three months of...
Apr 19 2:50p
Following news last night that the FAA was close to giving the Boeing 787 approval to return to the skies, the administration has officially approved proposed design modifications to make the plane safe for flight. In a press release, the FAA says that it will give airplane operators instructions on how to implement the design fix next week and it will lift the grounding order that has kept the Dreamliner from flying. The ruling will require operators to "install containment and venting...
Apr 18 9:58p
The beleaguered Boeing 787 Dreamliner could soon return to the skies. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Federal Aviation Administration intends to approve the aircraft as soon as Friday, endorsing battery improvements designed to prevent and contain fires. In February, the FAA denied a previous Wall Street Journal report that it was close to approving test flights, but such test flights did begin in late March, and now it sounds like the Dreamliner might not be the lemon some had...
Mar 25 5:51p
Boeing's much-feted 787 Dreamliner returned to the skies today for the first time since January, when it was grounded by the FAA. It was the first of two flights designed to test recent changes to the plane's lithium-ion battery, which had previously caused a number of mid-flight fires. The test flight went off without a hitch, taking off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington and flying for two hours, 300 miles down the Pacific coast and back without incident.
It's good news for Boeing,...
Mar 14 10:00p
Earlier this week the Federal Aviation Administration took the first steps towards approving a set of proposed battery fixes for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and today the company took the opportunity to detail the changes — as well as try to downplay the severity of the issue. During a press conference, Boeing's vice president and chief project engineer Mike Sinnett struck back at media reports about the Dreamliner's problems, saying that the planes were never in any real danger. The...
Mar 12 4:55p
Last month Boeing presented a series of proposed fixes to the Federal Aviation Administration intended to address problems with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's lithium-ion battery system — and today the FAA has taken the first step towards approving those changes. In a press release, the FAA states that it has approved the "certification plan" — essentially allowing Boeing to begin a testing process to prove whether the battery fixes will get the job done. As part of that plan, the FAA is...
Feb 26 7:32p
The Federal Administration Aviation is disputing reports that it will soon approve testing of a set of battery fixes for the troubled 787 Dreamliner. Last week Boeing presented a number of proposed changes to the FAA intended to address concerns with the plane's lithium-ion batteries. Today The Wall Street Journal reported that the FAA would likely be giving the all-clear next week, with flights to follow sometime thereafter. However, FAA spokesperson Laura Brown has since told Reuters that...
Feb 20 4:36p
The Federal Aviation Administration agreed to let Boeing conduct test flights of the troubled 787 Dreamliner less than two weeks ago, and the company may already have some fixes in mind. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Boeing will propose a 10-item suite of temporary fixes to the FAA on Friday that are intended to address problems with the plane's lithium-ion batteries. A new fireproof enclosure, checklists for the cockpit crew, and a different venting system are said to be among...
Feb 14 8:26p
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Airbus' upcoming A350, the company's competitor to Boeing's high-tech 787 Dreamliner, will drop all use of lithium-ion batteries. The Dreamliner has run into serious problems since going into service around the world last year, and all planes are currently grounded pending an FAA investigation into battery fires. Airbus is reportedly concerned that scrutiny of the Dreamliner's batteries could delay initial A350 shipments; the aircraft is expected to...
Feb 07 6:34p
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be returning to the air — but only so Boeing can gather information about the battery fires that led the Federal Aviation Administration to ground its new planes in January. In a statement, Boeing said the FAA has approved flights by one of the Dreamliners, something that will allow investigators to collect data about the plane's battery and electrical systems and hopefully lead to answers that could let Boeing fix the problem. As part of the approval, the...
Feb 04 8:32p
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner last month due to ongoing safety concerns — but the troubled aircraft may soon be authorized for a limited return to the skies. The Seattle Times reports that Boeing has asked the FAA for permission to start test flights of the Dreamliner in order to gain additional information about the battery system that has caused so much trouble for the aircraft. The company reportedly has a fix it wants to try as...
Feb 01 8:08p
While history suggests that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner could one day be a productive part of the skies, that day may not come soon. Experts tell Bloomberg that the investigation into the aircraft's battery-related fires — which grounded all Dreamliner planes around the world — could take months or years to conclude.
Outgoing US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that there's "no pressure" to get the 787 flying again, and a National Transportation Safety Board representative...
Jan 29 8:25p
The high-powered lithium-ion batteries used in Boeing's 787 Dreamliner planes have come under a harsh spotlight in recent weeks; a pair of battery-related fires have resulted in the grounding of fleets across the globe. Yet while Japanese investigators said this week that they are yet to find any factory-level problems with the batteries, SpaceX and Tesla Motors head Elon Musk — who competes with Boeing in commercial space ventures — believes that there is a more fundamental issue in...
Jan 17 1:15p
Yesterday's decision by the Federal Aviation Administration to ground all US-based Boeing 787s — the crown jewel in Boeing's commercial aviation product portfolio — is unquestionably an alarming one: it halts the most advanced airliner ever designed from carrying passengers until Boeing can get to the bottom of lithium ion battery fires that have disrupted one flight and left another aircraft smoking at the gate. United, which owns all six of the US 787s currently in service, will be...
Jan 16 6:13p
Following All Nippon Airways decision to ground its fleet of Boeing 787s Dreamliners, the Federal Aviation Administration has announced that all 787s in the US are to be grounded pending an investigation into the recent lithium-ion battery failures that have caused fires in Boston and Japan. Just yesterday, a 787 had to make an emergency landing in Japan after a fire started on the aircraft and sent smoke into the cabin.
The 787 is to be grounded until operators are able to prove to the FAA...
Jan 15 9:05p
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner was forced to make an emergency landing this morning in Takamatsu, Japan, when smoke was found emanating from the cockpit, reports NHK. ANA Flight 692 made the emergency landing at 8:45 this morning on its way to Haneda Airport in Tokyo, shutting down the runway, and NHK’s camera shows that the plane’s emergency slides deployed. According to airport officials, the vessel appeared otherwise normal. The 137 passengers and crew on board are reported to be safe....
Jan 11 9:44a
Bloomberg reports that the power system for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be reviewed by the Federal Aviation Administration in the wake of a fire that damaged the plane's battery pack after a flight this past January. Both the design of the plane and its manufacturing will be included in the investigation. The Dreamliner has been touted for its long list of innovative features, including its carbon fiber construction, lithium-ion batteries, and electrochromic windows that dim without the...
Nov 04 11:40p
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is officially now in service on US domestic routes, following its first international landing on American soil back in April. The state-of-the-art aircraft landed at Chicago's O'Hare airport on Sunday morning after a flight from Houston operated by United Airlines. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the plane landed almost 15 minutes ahead of schedule to an ovation from the passengers and crew.
United has ordered 50 Dreamliners, of which two have been shipped so far;...
Sep 21 1:45a
Boeing has announced plans to outfit some of its aircraft with equipment that would allow for in-flight cellphone use. In a press release issued Wednesday, the company said it has begun installing connectivity systems on all 747 and 777 planes, and that they should be completely cellphone-friendly by 2013. The manufacturer's 787 Dreamliner planes already include kits that allow for cellphone use, though Boeing plans to upgrade them with additional capabilities by the end of the year.
In...
Apr 24 7:49a
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner made its US debut on Sunday, with a commercial Japan Airlines flight from Tokyo to Boston. The aircraft has already been incorporated into All Nippon Airways' fleet of passenger planes, but Sunday's flight marked the 787's first foray into the US, as well as its maiden transpacific voyage. Japan Airlines also became the first carrier to offer non-stop service from Boston to Asia.
The 787 Dreamliner completed its first trip to Europe in January, and began offering...
Apr 27 1:34p
Boeing 787 returns to skies in Ethiopia with first commercial flight since January
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner has made its first commercial flight since the entire fleet was grounded this past January following two separate incidents involving the lithium-ion batteries equipped on the planes. Ethiopian Airlines flight 801, which departed Addis Ababa at 9:45AM local time and arrived in Nairobi at 12:38PM, made the trip without incident. The 787 used for the trip is one of four in the airline's fleet, and it is the first that has successfully been retrofitted with the battery...
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