Dreamliner takes to skies over Tokyo

Japan's All Nippon Airways tests its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner since overheating batteries forced the fleet grounded worldwide. Lindsey Parietti reports.

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner of All Nippon Airways prepares to land after a test flight at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, one of the first flights after the aircraft was grounded in mid-January amid safety concerns. Picture: AP Source: AP

A MODIFIED Dreamliner took to the skies over Tokyo with top Boeing and ANA executives aboard, as the planemaker and its leading client sought to reassure passengers the jetliners are safe.

It was the first flight by one of All Nippon Airways' 787s since the worldwide fleet of the next-generation planes was grounded over safety concerns due to faulty batteries sparking fires on board two planes.

The test flight by ANA, which has the largest fleet of Dreamliners, came a day after Ethiopian Airlines became the first carrier to resume flying the 787s.

After a two-hour test flight from Tokyo's Haneda airport, ANA chairman Shinichiro Ito and Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner descended the stairs of the Dreamliner.

"After three months it's a terrific feeling to have an ANA 787 back in the air, and I am very pleased to say that it was a perfect flight on a perfect day," Mr Conner told reporters.

"As is evident by the fact that we are here today, we are very confident in the solution that we developed...and I can tell you that we put our family on this airplane on any day of a week, and any time."

ANA and Boeing are anxious to put the damaging crisis behind them but it could still be at least a month before the carrier can complete all the battery fixes and get its planes in the air.

Mr Ito said the company may fly the aircraft in May on an irregular basis and that it would aim to resume normal flights from June 1.

"We had not necessarily expected this (problem of batteries) as the launch customer, but I can say it was a meaningful challenge," Mr Ito said.

Neither Mr Ito nor Mr Conner commented on details of compensation, which ANA has said it will seek after months of cancellations and disruption to schedules.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other regulators grounded the worldwide Dreamliner fleet in mid-January after failures of the lithium-ion batteries on the jetliner caused a fire on board one parked plane in Boston and forced the emergency landing of an ANA-operated aircraft in Japan.

Following months of investigations, the FAA on Thursday issued formal approval of Boeing's battery fix, with Ethiopian Airlines on Saturday becoming the first carrier to resume using the aircraft.

Speaking in Tokyo on Saturday, Mike Sinnett, Boeing's chief project manager for the Dreamliner program, said the Japanese test flight showed the faith that the US aircraft manufacturer placed in the battery fix.

"What it represents is...the depth of confidence that Ray Conner has in the series of design solutions we have brought forward," Mr Sinnett told reporters.

Although the exact cause of the battery failures has yet to be pinpointed - as noted by the FAA on Thursday - Mr Sinnett insisted that the refitted planes were safe to fly.

"Even if we missed the root cause, we have identified 80 potential causal factors and we have addressed all of them in the design," he said.

The battery solution eliminated the potential for fire and heat to get into the airplane, he said.

Japanese travellers expressed mixed feelings towards the modified Dreamliners.

Yuji Kawaguchi, 56, said he would like to see the 787 operations resume soon.

"I often fly for business trips," he said as he waited for a flight to southern Kagoshima at Haneda airport.

"As far as the testing shows no problem, we might as well start thinking about improving convenience."

In contrast, Tomohiro Obayashi, 32, from northern Hokkaido expressed concerns that the root-cause has not been identified.

"I don't feel like flying on the aircraft for a while."

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Dreamliner takes to skies over Tokyo

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner of All Nippon Airways prepares to land after a test flight at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, one of the first flights after the aircraft was grounded in mid-January amid safety concerns. Picture: AP Source: AP

A MODIFIED Dreamliner took to the skies over Tokyo with top Boeing and ANA executives aboard, as the planemaker and its leading client sought to reassure passengers the jetliners are safe.

It was the first flight by one of All Nippon Airways' 787s since the worldwide fleet of the next-generation planes was grounded over safety concerns due to faulty batteries sparking fires on board two planes.

The test flight by ANA, which has the largest fleet of Dreamliners, came a day after Ethiopian Airlines became the first carrier to resume flying the 787s.

After a two-hour test flight from Tokyo's Haneda airport, ANA chairman Shinichiro Ito and Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner descended the stairs of the Dreamliner.

"After three months it's a terrific feeling to have an ANA 787 back in the air, and I am very pleased to say that it was a perfect flight on a perfect day," Mr Conner told reporters.

"As is evident by the fact that we are here today, we are very confident in the solution that we developed...and I can tell you that we put our family on this airplane on any day of a week, and any time."

ANA and Boeing are anxious to put the damaging crisis behind them but it could still be at least a month before the carrier can complete all the battery fixes and get its planes in the air.

Mr Ito said the company may fly the aircraft in May on an irregular basis and that it would aim to resume normal flights from June 1.

"We had not necessarily expected this (problem of batteries) as the launch customer, but I can say it was a meaningful challenge," Mr Ito said.

Neither Mr Ito nor Mr Conner commented on details of compensation, which ANA has said it will seek after months of cancellations and disruption to schedules.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other regulators grounded the worldwide Dreamliner fleet in mid-January after failures of the lithium-ion batteries on the jetliner caused a fire on board one parked plane in Boston and forced the emergency landing of an ANA-operated aircraft in Japan.

Following months of investigations, the FAA on Thursday issued formal approval of Boeing's battery fix, with Ethiopian Airlines on Saturday becoming the first carrier to resume using the aircraft.

Speaking in Tokyo on Saturday, Mike Sinnett, Boeing's chief project manager for the Dreamliner program, said the Japanese test flight showed the faith that the US aircraft manufacturer placed in the battery fix.

"What it represents is...the depth of confidence that Ray Conner has in the series of design solutions we have brought forward," Mr Sinnett told reporters.

Although the exact cause of the battery failures has yet to be pinpointed - as noted by the FAA on Thursday - Mr Sinnett insisted that the refitted planes were safe to fly.

"Even if we missed the root cause, we have identified 80 potential causal factors and we have addressed all of them in the design," he said.

The battery solution eliminated the potential for fire and heat to get into the airplane, he said.

Japanese travellers expressed mixed feelings towards the modified Dreamliners.

Yuji Kawaguchi, 56, said he would like to see the 787 operations resume soon.

"I often fly for business trips," he said as he waited for a flight to southern Kagoshima at Haneda airport.

"As far as the testing shows no problem, we might as well start thinking about improving convenience."

In contrast, Tomohiro Obayashi, 32, from northern Hokkaido expressed concerns that the root-cause has not been identified.

"I don't feel like flying on the aircraft for a while."

View the original article here

Dreamliner sticks with problem battery

A line of Boeing 787 jets are parked at Paine Field in Washington. Picture: Supplied Source: AP

A SENIOR Boeing executive said he and Japanese government officials had discussed a "permanent" solution to fix problems that have dogged the grounded Dreamliner.

Raymond Conner, executive vice president of Boeing and head of commercial aeroplanes, said they would not abandon the lithium-ion batteries used in the planes which are at the centre of a worldwide safety probe.

He also denied reports that the planemaker was at odds with its battery supplier over how to fix the troubles, saying "we are great partners".

The next-generation 787 was ordered out of the skies in January following a series of incidents.

"It is not an interim solution. This is a permanent solution," Conner told reporters after meeting Transport Minister Akihiro Ota to discuss problems that caused one battery to catch fire and another to emit smoke.

Asked if Boeing was considering ditching the Japanese-made lithium-ion batteries from the 787, Conner said: "I see nothing in this technology that would tell us it's the appropriate thing to do."

Conner did not give any details of the curative package for the Dreamliner, saying only that he was "confident" in it.

"The solution set that we have put in place provides three layers of protection and we feel that this solution takes into account any possible event that could occur, any causal factor that could cause an event.

"And we are very confident that this fix will be permanent and will allow us to continue with the technology," he said.

Japan's transport ministry said it was the first mission to the country by Boeing's headquarters executives since the Dreamliner fleet was grounded.

The visit came as the Wall Street Journal reported Boeing was in disagreement with GS Yuasa, the Japanese company that makes the lithium-ion batteries.

Boeing last week told the Federal Aviation Administration and the US Department of Transportation what it intended to do to remedy problems behind the incidents involving Japanese carriers All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL).

The US aircraft giant, which has bet heavily on its lightweight plane at a time when airlines are eager to slash fuel costs, desperately wants to get it back in the air.

But the paper, citing sources familiar with the matter, said GS Yuasa believes Boeing's package of fixes will not eliminate all possible risks to the power pack.

A probe has found short-circuits caused a rapid rise in battery temperatures, but the search for the root of the short-circuit has so far proved elusive.

GS Yuasa had no comment on the paper's report.

Tokyo-listed shares in the company were up more than seven percent in afternoon trade following Conner's comments.

The worldwide grounding of all 50 Dreamliners in service has thrown airline schedules into disarray, especially in Japan. ANA, the biggest operator of the plane, has been forced to cancel more than 3,600 flights through to the end of May.

JAL said Thursday it would reduce the number of flights, including to San Diego, Boston and Honolulu, for two months from March 31 due to the global grounding.

But Conner insisted the plane was still a good bet.

"The 787, which is an aeroplane that we have developed with Japan, is still the game-changing aeroplane," he said.

"The performance of the aircraft outside this incident has been good. It is providing the airlines with the kind of savings that they expected, that we expected, and we are very hopeful that they will get back into the air very soon," he said.

View the original article here

Dreamliner sticks with problem battery

A line of Boeing 787 jets are parked at Paine Field in Washington. Picture: Supplied Source: AP

A SENIOR Boeing executive said he and Japanese government officials had discussed a "permanent" solution to fix problems that have dogged the grounded Dreamliner.

Raymond Conner, executive vice president of Boeing and head of commercial aeroplanes, said they would not abandon the lithium-ion batteries used in the planes which are at the centre of a worldwide safety probe.

He also denied reports that the planemaker was at odds with its battery supplier over how to fix the troubles, saying "we are great partners".

The next-generation 787 was ordered out of the skies in January following a series of incidents.

"It is not an interim solution. This is a permanent solution," Conner told reporters after meeting Transport Minister Akihiro Ota to discuss problems that caused one battery to catch fire and another to emit smoke.

Asked if Boeing was considering ditching the Japanese-made lithium-ion batteries from the 787, Conner said: "I see nothing in this technology that would tell us it's the appropriate thing to do."

Conner did not give any details of the curative package for the Dreamliner, saying only that he was "confident" in it.

"The solution set that we have put in place provides three layers of protection and we feel that this solution takes into account any possible event that could occur, any causal factor that could cause an event.

"And we are very confident that this fix will be permanent and will allow us to continue with the technology," he said.

Japan's transport ministry said it was the first mission to the country by Boeing's headquarters executives since the Dreamliner fleet was grounded.

The visit came as the Wall Street Journal reported Boeing was in disagreement with GS Yuasa, the Japanese company that makes the lithium-ion batteries.

Boeing last week told the Federal Aviation Administration and the US Department of Transportation what it intended to do to remedy problems behind the incidents involving Japanese carriers All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL).

The US aircraft giant, which has bet heavily on its lightweight plane at a time when airlines are eager to slash fuel costs, desperately wants to get it back in the air.

But the paper, citing sources familiar with the matter, said GS Yuasa believes Boeing's package of fixes will not eliminate all possible risks to the power pack.

A probe has found short-circuits caused a rapid rise in battery temperatures, but the search for the root of the short-circuit has so far proved elusive.

GS Yuasa had no comment on the paper's report.

Tokyo-listed shares in the company were up more than seven percent in afternoon trade following Conner's comments.

The worldwide grounding of all 50 Dreamliners in service has thrown airline schedules into disarray, especially in Japan. ANA, the biggest operator of the plane, has been forced to cancel more than 3,600 flights through to the end of May.

JAL said Thursday it would reduce the number of flights, including to San Diego, Boston and Honolulu, for two months from March 31 due to the global grounding.

But Conner insisted the plane was still a good bet.

"The 787, which is an aeroplane that we have developed with Japan, is still the game-changing aeroplane," he said.

"The performance of the aircraft outside this incident has been good. It is providing the airlines with the kind of savings that they expected, that we expected, and we are very hopeful that they will get back into the air very soon," he said.

View the original article here

Qantas remains confident on Dreamliner

The All Nippon Airways Dreamliner flight that suffered battery problems last month. Picture: AP Source: AP

QANTAS CEO Alan Joyce says he still hasn't received formal notification from Boeing about delays to its Dreamliner 787 delivery despite the ongoing worldwide grounding of the jets and a looming delivery date.

Mr Joyce today said the airline is continuing to work closely with Boeing to get the troubled Dreamliner aircraft back in the air as soon as possible.

He said Boeing has been in daily contact as it tries to get the aircraft, which was tipped to turn around the airline's struggling international business, back in the air safely.

The airline has firm orders for 14 Dreamliner planes for its budget arm Jetstar, with options to order 50 of the longer-range 788-9 planes. The first delivery is expected to be as soon as August.

"Safety is the number one priority," Mr Joyce said. "We’re working with Boeing on what that will mean to our delivery, we haven’t had any formal notification from Boeing regarding any delays.

"We believe we have flexibility to cope with further delays if that occurs.

"We think the aircraft will be a great aircraft."

First review of the Dreamliner plane in Australia

Today the airline announced a profit of $111 million in the six months to December 31, including the $125m compensation from Boeing from the earlier delay in delivery for 787s. It cancelled 35 Dreamliner orders last years.

It comes as AFP reports Boeing is set to propose to US regulators a plan to temporarily fix problems with the 787 Dreamliner's batteries that have kept the much-heralded planes on the ground for more than a month. Boeing reportedly hopes an interim plan to shield the plane from battery fires will convince US safety authorities to allow the 50 planes grounded around the world to return to service by May at the earliest.

The 787 fleet has been grounded since January 16 after a battery caught fire on a Japan Airlines plane parked in Boston and a smoking battery led to an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways plane in Japan. A probe into the overheating of a lithium ion battery in the All Nippon Airways plane found it was improperly wired, Japan's Transport Ministry said.

When the first Dreamliner plane came to Australia during a global tour in 2012, Jetstar Australia and New Zealand CEO David Hall said the "plane of the future" would be a key part of keeping airfares low as it reduces operational costs such as maintenance and fuel.

"It will underpin the continued success of our low cost business," Mr Hall said.

It will also deliver great benefit to Qantas, with Mr Joyce saying it will help the airline thrive amid the current challenges facing its international business. He said it will also make the airline's fleet the youngest since the business was privatised.

While it has not been suggested the plane's fundamental design can't be fixed, analysts remain uncertain how much will need to be changed and whether the problem is isolated to the batteries.

The Dreamliner is considered an aviation breakthrough, with its extensive use of lightweight composite materials and electronics instead of aluminium and hydraulics.

International airlines have embraced the plane as a way to cut fuel costs by as much as 25 per cent.

Fleet changes

The airline also announced it will upgrade its entire fleet of Airbus A330s and order new Boeing 737-800s.

Next year it will start reconfiguring the interior of its 10 A330-300s, for flights between Australia and Asia, and 20 A330-200s, for domestic routes between the east coast and Perth with a new flat seat in business class and new inflight entertainment offering. It will retire its 767s.

“The refurbished aircraft will give Qantas International a truly world-class product in global aviation's most dynamic and competitive market," Mr Joyce said. "Growing with Asia is a major priority for the Qantas Group and this investment underpins our commitment to the region."

View the original article here

Qantas remains confident on Dreamliner

The All Nippon Airways Dreamliner flight that suffered battery problems last month. Picture: AP Source: AP

QANTAS CEO Alan Joyce says he still hasn't received formal notification from Boeing about delays to its Dreamliner 787 delivery despite the ongoing worldwide grounding of the jets and a looming delivery date.

Mr Joyce today said the airline is continuing to work closely with Boeing to get the troubled Dreamliner aircraft back in the air as soon as possible.

He said Boeing has been in daily contact as it tries to get the aircraft, which was tipped to turn around the airline's struggling international business, back in the air safely.

The airline has firm orders for 14 Dreamliner planes for its budget arm Jetstar, with options to order 50 of the longer-range 788-9 planes. The first delivery is expected to be as soon as August.

"Safety is the number one priority," Mr Joyce said. "We’re working with Boeing on what that will mean to our delivery, we haven’t had any formal notification from Boeing regarding any delays.

"We believe we have flexibility to cope with further delays if that occurs.

"We think the aircraft will be a great aircraft."

First review of the Dreamliner plane in Australia

Today the airline announced a profit of $111 million in the six months to December 31, including the $125m compensation from Boeing from the earlier delay in delivery for 787s. It cancelled 35 Dreamliner orders last years.

It comes as AFP reports Boeing is set to propose to US regulators a plan to temporarily fix problems with the 787 Dreamliner's batteries that have kept the much-heralded planes on the ground for more than a month. Boeing reportedly hopes an interim plan to shield the plane from battery fires will convince US safety authorities to allow the 50 planes grounded around the world to return to service by May at the earliest.

The 787 fleet has been grounded since January 16 after a battery caught fire on a Japan Airlines plane parked in Boston and a smoking battery led to an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways plane in Japan. A probe into the overheating of a lithium ion battery in the All Nippon Airways plane found it was improperly wired, Japan's Transport Ministry said.

When the first Dreamliner plane came to Australia during a global tour in 2012, Jetstar Australia and New Zealand CEO David Hall said the "plane of the future" would be a key part of keeping airfares low as it reduces operational costs such as maintenance and fuel.

"It will underpin the continued success of our low cost business," Mr Hall said.

It will also deliver great benefit to Qantas, with Mr Joyce saying it will help the airline thrive amid the current challenges facing its international business. He said it will also make the airline's fleet the youngest since the business was privatised.

While it has not been suggested the plane's fundamental design can't be fixed, analysts remain uncertain how much will need to be changed and whether the problem is isolated to the batteries.

The Dreamliner is considered an aviation breakthrough, with its extensive use of lightweight composite materials and electronics instead of aluminium and hydraulics.

International airlines have embraced the plane as a way to cut fuel costs by as much as 25 per cent.

Fleet changes

The airline also announced it will upgrade its entire fleet of Airbus A330s and order new Boeing 737-800s.

Next year it will start reconfiguring the interior of its 10 A330-300s, for flights between Australia and Asia, and 20 A330-200s, for domestic routes between the east coast and Perth with a new flat seat in business class and new inflight entertainment offering. It will retire its 767s.

“The refurbished aircraft will give Qantas International a truly world-class product in global aviation's most dynamic and competitive market," Mr Joyce said. "Growing with Asia is a major priority for the Qantas Group and this investment underpins our commitment to the region."

View the original article here