Ethiopia flies first Dreamliner since grounding
A
Boeing 787 operated by Ethiopian Airlines flew from Ethiopia to Kenya's
capital Saturday, the first commercial flight since air safety
authorities grounded the Dreamliners after incidents with smoldering ...
Associated Press
There are 50 Dreamliners in service around the world. Once the FAA approves the fix on individual planes, airlines can start flying them again. United Airlines, the only U.S. airline with the planes, moved one of its six 787s to a Boeing facility in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday so it can get the battery fixed. Neither of the battery incidents involved a United jet.
Boeing said Wednesday that deliveries of the 787 should resume in early May.
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Associated Press reporter Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed to this report.
Ethiopia flies first Dreamliner since grounding
Ethiopian Airlines flies first 787 Dreamliner to Kenya since grounding in January
By | Associated Press – 5 hrs ago- View PhotoAssociated Press -
An Ethiopian Airlines' Boeing 787 Dreamliner prepares to take off from Addis Ababa airport in Ethiopia, Saturday, April 27, 2013. A Boeing 787 operated by Ethiopian Airlines flew from
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) -- A Boeing 787 operated by Ethiopian Airlines flew from Ethiopia
to Kenya's capital Saturday, the first commercial flight since air
safety authorities grounded the Dreamliners after incidents with
smoldering batteries on two different planes in January.
The Boeing 787 passenger jet
arrived in Nairobi on Saturday afternoon after a two-hour trip from
Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, according to the Kenya airport website. The Dreamliner arrived at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 12:40 p.m. local time, according to the Kenya Airports Authority.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has approved Boeing's redesigned battery system, which the company says sharply reduces the risk of fire.
Richard J. Horigan,
a Boeing engineer, told reporters in Nairobi this week that all
potential causes of battery fire have been eliminated with the new
system. But he noted that the root cause of smoldering batteries
experienced by the two different 787s may never be known because the
evidence was destroyed by heat.
"We would like to thank Ethiopian Airlines for the patience, support
and leadership shown throughout the period that the 787 Dreamliner has
been grounded," Boeing Commercial Airplanes President Ray Conner said in
a news release.
There are 50 Dreamliners in service around the world. Once the FAA approves the fix on individual planes, airlines can start flying them again. United Airlines, the only U.S. airline with the planes, moved one of its six 787s to a Boeing facility in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday so it can get the battery fixed. Neither of the battery incidents involved a United jet.
Boeing said Wednesday that deliveries of the 787 should resume in early May.
___
Associated Press reporter Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed to this report.
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