Boeing submits 787 battery fix to FAA

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Boeing has proposed a fix for battery problems on the 787 Dreamliner but the aircraft will stay grounded worldwide until a safe solution is determined, US air safety regulators said Friday.

“The FAA is reviewing a Boeing proposal and will analyse it closely,” the Federal Aviation Administration said after meeting with senior Boeing executives to discuss the ongoing investigation of the battery issues.

This April 27, 2012 file photo shows a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner being built for Air India is seen on the production line at Boeing’s new production facilities in North Charleston, South Carolina. US air-safety regulators said on February 22 they were reviewing a Boeing proposal to fix battery problems on the 787 Dreamliner that have kept the aircraft grounded worldwide since mid-January. After meeting with senior Boeing executives to discuss the ongoing investigation of the battery issues, the Federal Aviation Administration said that Boeing had offered a plan to address the problems. AFP

“The safety of the flying public is our top priority and we won’t allow the 787 to return to commercial service until we’re confident that any proposed solution has addressed the battery failure risks.”

Boeing earlier said that Ray Conner, the head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, had a “productive meeting” with FAA chief Michael Huerta in Washington to discuss the lithium-ion battery issues on the cutting-edge plane that is key to the company’s growth strategy.

“We are encouraged by the progress being made toward resolving the issue and returning the 787 to flight for our customers and their passengers around the world,” a Boeing spokesman said.

All 50 of the 787s in service have been grounded for more than five weeks, disrupting airline schedules, as US and foreign investigators try to pinpoint the cause of a battery fire on a parked plane and a battery smoke incident that forced another into an emergency landing.

While Boeing claims progress in the probe, the extent of the problems and the potential complexity in addressing them remains unknown, triggering mounting speculation on how long the groundings will last.

Neither the FAA nor Boeing offered any details on the battery proposal.

Aviation expert Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group said that if the FAA accepted the Boeing fix, the 787 could be flying again in April, but he added: “There’s a very good chance that they won’t.”

“We don’t know to what extent it is a temporary fix and if it is accompanied by a broader solution that’s not going to work as a long-term fix,” he said.

“The FAA is talking about zero tolerance.”