Despite fire and technical issues, airlines pledge to stick with Dreamliner
Airlines have pledged to stick with the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner despite two separate incidents involving the aircraft, with Ethiopian Airlines and Thomson, on Friday.
Heathrow airport was hit by flight cancellations and delays after a fire broke out on Ethiopian Airlines’ Dreamliner.
Investigators are still trying to find the cause of the blaze, which took place months after the Boeing 787 aircraft was grounded worldwide over a battery problem, though authorities said it was not the lithium battery.
Heathrow’s runways were closed for 90 minutes and 42 short-haul flights were canceled.
Thomson Airways also turned back one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners traveling from Manchester to Orlando after experiencing a mid-flight technical issue.
A Thomson spokesman said the aircraft "has had had a small number of components replaced. It has been fully tested and is fully operational."
Ethiopian Airlines, which took delivery of four Dreamliners in 2012, also said it will continue to operate its fleet.
The company said its plane had been parked at Heathrow for eight hours before smoke was spotted.
"We have not grounded any of our aircraft," the carrier said in a statement.
"The incident at Heathrow happened while the plane was on the ground… and was not related to flight safety."
The Dreamliner has been moved to a special hangar away from the terminals to allow the investigation to take place.
The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch of the Department for Transport is expected to lead the inquiry, with Boeing, the US Federal Aviation Administration, the US-based National Transportation Safety Board and Ethiopian Airlines also taking part.
The two incidents will be the latest blow to aircraft manufacturer Boeing. All 787s were grounded in January after problems with its lithium-ion batteries.
The aircraft resumed flying in May after global aviation regulators approved Boeing’s redesigns to the battery system.
But within weeks of the 787 returning to the sky, further incidents happened.
Japan Airlines stopped a scheduled 787 Dreamliner flight last month after engineers found a faulty pressure sensor in one of its modified battery containers. The incident happened just one day after the airline resumed services of the 787.
Thomson became the first British carrier to operate the aircraft earlier this week and is taking delivery of eight 787s.
British Airways is due to launch Dreamliner flights in September.
Polish flag carrier LOT said it will continue to operate its four Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
"We are not concerned by this incident," said spokeswoman Barbara Pijanowska-Kuras.
LOT was the first European airline to take delivery of the 787 last year.
Boeing’s share price dropped by 6.5% in Wall Street on Friday.
By Bev Fearis, TravelMole UK, and Cheryl Rosen, TravelMole US
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