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AVIATION REGULATORS TODAY grounded most of the world’s 787 Dreamliner fleet until a fire risk linked to the plane’s batteries is fixed, deepening a crisis for its US manufacturer Boeing.
Regulators in Japan, India and Chile followed the lead of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in ordering an indefinite halt to all operations, after a Japanese Dreamliner on Wednesday was forced into an emergency landing.
The FAA, which sets the benchmark for aviation standards, highlighted “a potential battery fire risk in the 787″ after a suspected battery leak emerged as the focus of inquiries into the aborted All Nippon Airways flight.
Series of safety scares
Analysts said the ANA incident, following a series of safety scares involving the Dreamliner over the past week, needed careful crisis management from Boeing, which is staking its future on the next-generation plane.
The aircraft relies on battery-powered electronics rather than the hydraulics used in older planes, and Boeing says its use of lightweight composite materials is a breakthrough for airlines anxious to cut their fuel bills.
Boeing chief executive Jim McNerney said the company “deeply regrets” the impact of recent events on airlines and passengers, and vowed to take “every necessary step” in concert with the FAA to resolve the problems.
However, he stressed: “We are confident the 787 is safe and we stand behind its overall integrity.”
But as a result of the mishap on the domestic ANA flight, 39 out of the 50 Dreamliners in operation by airlines around the world have now been grounded.
United Airlines, the only US carrier to fly the Dreamliner, joined ANA and Japan Airlines (JAL) in withdrawing the model from service. Air India and Chile’s LAN Airlines followed suit.
“We will track the FAA enquiry into the Dreamliner. We can’t say when we will allow it to fly again, it depends on when Boeing gives us satisfaction over safety concerns,” Arun Mishra, India’s civil aviation chief, told AFP.
Japan is home to 24 of all the Dreamliners in operation, and the government in Tokyo said it was taking no chances pending an investigation into whether the lithium-ion battery on the ANA flight had overheated and caught fire.
“Following the FAA decision, Boeing 787s will not be allowed to fly until their battery safety is assured,” Japan’s vice transport minister Hiroshi Kajiyama said.
Lithium-ion batteries
Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in consumer electronics such as laptops and mobile phones, and airlines worldwide warn passengers against carrying too many in their checked or hand baggage because of the risk of overheating.
The powerful lithium-ion batteries used on the Dreamliner have emerged as the focus of concern in light of the ANA incident and another one on a JAL flight in the United States last week, with smoke reported on both planes.
Electrolyte leaks and burn marks have been found on the battery’s metal casing, ANA said. Kyodo News reported that officials from the Japan Transport Safety Board were working on the principle that it overheated.
“Liquid leaked through the (forward battery compartment) room floor to the inside of the outer wall of the aircraft,” Kyodo quoted investigator Hideyo Kosugi as saying.
Kajiyama told reporters: “Just by observing with the naked eye, the battery showed abnormalities, but electricity-linked equipment is complex so we need more investigation.”
The batteries are made by Japan’s GS Yuasa, one of a host of contractors hired by Boeing to build the Dreamliner in a complex web of global outsourcing that led to years of delays before ANA took delivery of the first plane in 2011.
GS Yuasa said it supplies its batteries first to France’s Thales Group, which then assembles a system with other electronics for shipping to Boeing.
“So far, it is not clear whether the cause of the problem was the batteries or the electronic system,” a GS Yuasa spokeswoman said, defending the Japanese company’s “substantial experience and technologies”.
GS Yuasa stock was down more than five percent in Tokyo trading Thursday, while JAL and ANA stock was down a lesser amount. Boeing shares finished Wednesday 3.4 percent lower on Wall Street, even before the FAA announcement.
“Boeing engineers, aircraft experts and several Wall Street analysts have defended problems with the jet as routine for a new airplane. The power of those defences is now over,” Douglas McIntyre of 24/7WallSt.com wrote in a report.
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A nightmare for dreamliner.
“The aircraft relies on battery-powered electronics rather than the hydraulics used in older planes,”………this is not correct. The 787 relies more heavily on battery power than other airlines and is the first to use Lithium ion batteries. Hydraulics are still used to power control surfaces.
“airliners”
The silver lining is that the EU are borings only competitor in the industry and any sales diverted to EADS/Airbus will boost our exports and economic output… Although if anything serious comes of it the USA will just bail out Boeing
I believe that Aibus will be extremly cautious about this. They had a bit of bad PR with incidents involving their A380. You can be certain that deep in the darkest depths of Airbus, they are following this closely, performing their own checks that the FAA are coming up with and that their customers have already or are asking questions of the A380 design procedures.
In a small petty way, serves then right! They were very smart when the A380 was delayed
This is a brand new concept of an aircraft and like with the first of new types there will be “unknown” issues. Boeing (like Airbus) would have tested the bejaysus out of it’s test fleet. But I guess like with everything, there are the unkowns.
When the Comet first flew, there were fatal crashes. The passenger windows were square and the airframe cracked at the window corners. They made the windows oval, rounding off the corners! and has been like that ever since.
Whe Airbus first introduced “fly by wire” on civilian passenger aircraft. The couple of hundred computers and millions of lines of computer code got confused at times and contradicted each other e.g. an A340 approaching Heathrow, the pilot says go left – the computers turned the aircraft right!
But the best thing about aviation is when they find an “unknown” they fix it in current and future aircraft. Sometimes its too late, but most times it’s not. Nobody is writing off the Dreamliner. It’ll be fixed.
Grounding all aircraft (just in case) is a good idea.
All true, there were issues with rivets on the comet also, single as opposed to double rows on overlaps AFAIK. The Dreamliner will succeed though, actually I think it’s a nicer looking jet than the A380 and I’m not biased.
This was Boeing’s answer to the A380, it will be a major setback but you have to ask, did they not test all of this before release?!
Nope the 747-800 was more of a rival to A380.this is their own venture which airbus have replied with the A350
Cool, thought it was the A380, learnt something today so! :-)
It’s not big enough to compete with the A380.
Boeing 777 are the only way to go :)
That is one costly recall/ grounding..
I hope Ryanair don’t try pick up a load of them now they will be going cheap!
@ vincent,yawn yawn yawn.stupid ryanair comments
Don’t you know, Bull, in any airline/airport/air travel thread there will always be someone who fancies themselves as a pundit, a cute hoor, a card, a regular Joe, who has his finger on the pulse of the nation.
Said cute hoor, will use that window of opportunity to crack a wise one, which, in oh such a lolsome way, kicks sand in the face of those corporate, opportunistic devils.
Original and witty humour is Vincent’s secret weapon against the policies of Ryanair, appreciate him for what he’s doing Bull, he’s giving it to the bad guys on behalf of the little guys like you and me. He’s showing them that we can see their sly ways,and that we’re not gonna take it no more.
Haha a good post cpm
Yea, O’Leary will be looking to buy all the tires off the dreamliners, for half price, haha!
Be careful now – you Ryanair knocker knockers!
Vincent F may not be far from the truth there. O’Leary went to Boeing right after the Twin Towers attacks. The world econmony was in bits, nobody was flying and he “r@ped” Boeing for a couple of 100 or so B737′s. BTW he used that word – I’m only repeating what that horrible little man said.
€5 says the thought crossed his mind as he’ll probably never get Aer Lingus for his transatlantic stint.
@bul despite my joke I have no issues with Ryanair. I use them all the time.
Dreamliner? Screamliner, more like
I’m a nervous flyer and this dosn’t inspire much confidence. In saying that I tend to put a lot of faith in the hands of “the experts”.
Michael O’Leary better keep his fingers crossed. he is seriously in bed with these guys and is well known for bashing Eirbus.
Only because they won’t do him a deal. Believe me O’Leary has stated that he really wants to convert the whole fleet to Airbus. It makes sense too. All of the spare components are made here in Europe so they’re cheaper to buy. Airbus is being very short-sighted and won’t do him a discount even on a massive order like 200+ aircraft but Boeing will.
Dreamliner which belongs to Polish National airlines LOT was at that moment on the way to Chicago, and the crew of that Dreamliner did not have any problems, although there were some problems before.
have your say