In what many are hoping will eventually have a positive impact on cheap travel, such as cheap airplane tickets, and cheap vacation packages, regulators have approved a revised battery system for Boeings 787 Dreamliner.
Now Boeing has the green light needed to proceed to make repairs to its fleet of fifty 787 planes which are owned by eight airlines around the world. Other countrys regulators will also have to approve Boeings new design but that is not expected to be a problem given the Federal Aviation Administrations (FAA) approval.
The FAA action puts an end to the grounding of Boeings 787 planes which has cost the company an estimated $600 million, stopped deliveries, and resulted in some airlines leasing alternative planes. Several airlines say they will request compensation from Boeing which will only add to the companys losses.
Before 787s will fly commercially again they will be fitted with containment and venting systems for both of the two lithium-ion batteries. This will include a stainless steel enclosure that will prevent heat, fumes, or fire from spreading, if a battery overheats while in the air.
Batteries and battery chargers will also be replaced with different components.
Boeing has been running regular test flights of its 787 during the commercial grounding of its planes which is expected to speed the process of getting 787s to customers who have been waiting while the plane was grounded.
By approving the battery change, the FAA has indicated that Boeings fix is adequate to resolve the risk of fire on the plane. The National Transportation Safety Board will continue to conduct its own investigations as to what caused a battery to catch fire on a Japan Airlines plane while it was parked at Bostons airport.
Boeing says that its battery redesign addresses over 80 potential causes of the fire and is thus more rigorous than if a single cause had been found.
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