Safety chiefs to review Dreamliner after FIFTH glitch in five days
US regulators have ordered a review of the 787 Dreamliner plane after the fifth glitch in five days led to concerns about the safety of Boeing’s revolutionary new aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Authority Administration, which is the US equivalent of the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK, announced it will look at the design and production system of the carbon-fibre aircraft.
Boeing said none of the 787s currently in service would be grounded as part of the review and Thomson, which will become the first UK airline to operate the aircraft, said its first 787 was still on track to be delivered next month.
The review was announced on Friday after Japanese carrier ANA revealed pilots had spotted a crack in the window of the cockpit of one of its Dreamliners.
It was the fifth fault last week. Earlier there was an electrical fire onboard a Japan Airlines Dreamliner, a fuel spillage from a JAL aircraft about to take off from Boston, ANA had to replace the brakes on one 787 and it also reported an oil leak from another Dreamliner shuttling between Haneda and Miyazaki.
"We are absolutely confident in the reliability and performance of the 787," Boeing said in a statement. "It is a safe and efficient plane that brings tremendous value to our customers and an improved flying experience to their passengers."
It said the 787 had completed "the most robust and rigorous certification process in the history of the FAA" more than a year ago.
"We are working with the FAA and our customers to ensure we thoroughly understand any introductory issues that arise.
"While we take each issue seriously, nothing we’ve seen in service causes us to doubt the capabilities of the airplane."
Thomson issued the following statement. "We welcome the review of the design and production of the 787 Dreamliner announced today by the FAA and Boeing. This will ensure the issues experienced by other airlines operating the aircraft are fully investigated and don’t happen again.
"We support Boeing in proactively taking action to review their processes and rectify the issues highlighted to them. Like the FAA and Boeing, Thomson is completely confident in the safety of the 787 Dreamliner.
"Having checked with Boeing we have no reason to believe the delivery of our first 787 Dreamliner will be delayed. Our first Thomson Dreamliner is still on track to be delivered next month. We will continue to work closely with Boeing and monitor the situation closely."
The 787 has logged 50,000 hours of flight and there are more than 150 flights a day. Boeing said its in-service performance was on par with the Boeing 777 in the months after its launch.
"Like the 777, at 15 months of service, we are seeing the 787’s fleet wide dispatch reliability well above 90%," said Boeing.
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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