Aerospace and defense giant Boeing Co. (BA: Quote) said Wednesday in a statement that it is “committed to supporting the FAA and finding answers as quickly as possible” after the Federal Aviation Administration earlier in the day temporarily grounded all Boeing 787s operated by U.S. carriers.
United Airlines, a subsidiary of United Continental Holdings, Inc. (UAL: Quote), is currently the only U.S. airline operating the 787, with six airplanes in service. There are 50 787s in service worldwide.
The move to ground the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft comes on the back of an in-flight battery incident involving the aircraft earlier in the day in Japan that prompted the FAA to issue the emergency airworthiness directive to address a potential battery fire risk.
Before further flight, operators of U.S.-registered Boeing 787 aircraft must demonstrate to the agency that the batteries are safe.
The FAA on Friday had already announced a comprehensive review of design, manufacture and assembly of the Dreamliner in the wake of a series of recent in-service incidents involving the plane. However, the regulators had reiterated that the aircraft is safe to fly.
“The safety of passengers and crew members who fly aboard Boeing airplanes is our highest priority. Boeing is committed to supporting the FAA and finding answers as quickly as possible. The company is working around the clock with its customers and the various regulatory and investigative authorities,” Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney said in a statement.
Chicago, Illinois-based Boeing added that it deeply regrets the impact that recent events have had on the operating schedules of our customers and the inconvenience to them and their passengers.
However, McNerney said he is confident the 787 is safe, and will take all necessary steps to assure our customers and the traveling public of the Dreamliner’s safety and to return the airplanes to service.
Earlier in the day, Japan’s All Nippon Airways grounded its fleet of 17 Boeing 787 planes for inspection after one of the Dreamliner’s made an emergency landing in western Japan. ANA said smoke was detected in the high-tech plane’s cockpit after its flight-692, carrying 137 people, took off from Yamaguchi-Ube airport. The airline attributed the emission of smoke to a battery malfunction.
Japan Airlines also announced suspension of the flights of its seven Dreamliner’s until further notice citing safety concerns after a battery of a parked 787 of Japan Airlines caught fire at Boston’s Logan International Airport on Monday.
On Friday, Japan’s All Nippon Airways said the jet suffered a cracked cockpit window and an oil leak on separate flights in Japan.
The much awaited 787 Dreamliner made its first commercial flight in late-2011, following a series of production delays that put deliveries more than three years behind schedule. The 787 was touted as Boeing’s future, as it is the company’s most fuel-efficient airliner and the world’s first major airliner to use composite materials for most of its construction.
BA closed Wednesday’s regular trading session at $74.34, down $2.60 or 3.38% on a volume of 18.21 million shares.
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by RTT Staff Writer
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