Double trouble for the Dreamliner
Thomson Airways has turned back one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners traveling from Manchester to Orlando after experiencing a mid-flight technical issue.
The operator said all passengers have disembarked from the plane and engineers are now inspecting the aircraft, while an alternative is found to transport passengers to the U.S.
"The safety of our customers and crew is of paramount importance and we would like to apologize for the delay caused," Thomson said in a statement.
In a separate incident, runways at Heathrow Airport were closed earlier today after a fire on a parked 787 Dreamliner jet.
All runways were closed for nearly 90 minutes after a fire on board an Ethiopian Airlines 787.
The aircraft was parked at the time and nobody was on board.
Scotland Yard’s Twitter page said, "Cause of fire on a plane at Heathrow is unexplained and under investigation. No reports of injuries at this time."
A Heathrow spokesman said, "Heathrow’s runways are now fully open following an earlier fire on board an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft which the airport’s emergency services attended.
"Arrivals and departures were temporarily suspended while airport fire crews attended to this incident. This is a standard procedure if fire crews are occupied with an incident."
Heathrow said flights have now resumed but is advising passengers to check the status of their flights with their airlines.
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.
Boeing’s share price dropped by 6.5% in Wall Street on Friday.
By Bev Fearis, TravelMole UK
Cheryl
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt