Boeing suffers further blow
Boeing suffered a further blow this week with the news that British Airways, one of its biggest customers, has ordered 18 new aircraft from its rival Airbus in a deal worth £3.9 billion.
BA’s parent IAG is talking to both Airbus and Boeing about supplying aircraft to its Spanish sister carrier Iberia , said the BBC.
But BA has confirmed an ordered for 18 A350s and taken options on a further 18.
Meanwhile Boeing is struggling to rebuild its reputation after it was forced earlier this year to ground every one of its 787 Dreamliners due to faulty batteries.
Boeing is in the process of fitting newly-designed lithium-ion batteries to all 50 Dreamliners in service, but it hasn’t yet given dates for when they will resume commercial flights. All it has said is that it expects this to be within weeks and Thomson, which is waiting for delivery of its first 787, said it had still not received a new delivery date from Boeing.
The manufacturer admitted this week that it doesn’t know what caused the batteries to overheat, which led to the grounding of every 787 in January.
However, it has designed a new, lower energy battery placed inside a metal container with a vent to the exterior of the aircraft, which Boeing is confident will eliminate any future risk.
The new design was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration in the US last week.
The batteries, which are not used when the aircraft is in flight, power its brakes and lights when it is on the ground.
General manager of Boeing’s 787 division told a press conference in London that the new batteries would not have to work so hard so they operated at a lower temperature.
If they do overheat, the new ventilation pipe will take any smoke immediately out of the aircraft.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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