Nightmare for Boeing as Dreamliners grounded
17 Jan 2013
Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner – touted as the future of commercial aviation – is taking on shades of a nightmare, as airlines across the world, including India, have grounded the plane over problems related to its battery.
Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) – the first to order the Dreamliner – was also the first to ground it along with Japan Airlines Co (JAL). They were rapidly followed by airlines in the US and Europe (See: JAL, ANA ground Dreamliners following fresh incident).
India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced on Wednesday that it would conduct a safety review of the six Dreamliners in Air India's fleet.
The lightweight, mainly carbon-composite plane has been plagued by recent mishaps - including an emergency landing of an ANA domestic flight on Wednesday after warning lights indicated problems over its lithium-ion batteries.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday said it has temporarily grounded the Boeing 787s, adding that carriers would have to demonstrate the batteries were safe before the planes could resume flying.
It is the first such action against a US-made passenger plane since the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 had its airworthiness certificate suspended following a deadly crash in Chicago in 1979.
