The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday approved Boeing’s plans to fix the plane’s lithium-ion batteries after two erupted in smoke and fire on separate planes. Boeing has deployed teams of technicians around the world to quickly install the modified batteries on the 50 jets that have been delivered so far and return them to service as soon as possible.
More important, the F.A.A.’s decision frees Boeing to resume deliveries of 787s in the next two months, a critical step for the plane maker and for airlines that have been eagerly awaiting the new, more fuel-efficient jets. Boeing said Friday that it would deliver all 787s that were planned this year.
The battery problems have probably cost Boeing hundreds of millions of dollars, and airlines are likely to seek financial compensation for the delays. Still, Boeing has not seen an impact on the 800 orders it has booked for the plane, which promises fuel cost savings of 20 percent. The 787 is the first commercial aircraft built largely from lighter carbon-composite materials, and it uses more electronic systems than conventional airplanes.
Investors appeared to have shrugged off the issue as well, possibly out of confidence that Boeing would fix the problem. The company’s shares rose more than 2 percent, to $87.96 a share on Friday, and the stock is up $10 since the fleet was grounded.
Investigators in the United States and Japan have still not been able to identify precisely what caused the batteries to overheat, and, in one case, ignite. Boeing’s fixes include better insulation for the batteries’ eight cells, and a stainless steel box designed to encase the batteries and contain fire and vent possible smoke or hazardous gases out of the planes. Mike Sinnett, Boeing’s chief engineer for the 787, said that the tests performed in the last month showed the batteries were now much less likely to overheat.
Boeing engineers have also made modifications to the plane’s power panels and generators, including replacing some parts and bringing components “up to the latest standards,” Mr. Sinnett said. Those changes were not linked to the battery system, and were not required by the F.A.A., he said, but they had failed in the past and caused problems before the planes were grounded.
The F.A.A. administrator, Michael P. Huerta, and the transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, said they were satisfied that the proposed changes would eliminate concerns that batteries could erupt in smoke or fire.
The changes “will ensure the safety of the aircraft and its passengers,” Mr. LaHood said Friday.
The F.A.A. will issue a final directive to effectively lift the grounding order and allow each plane operated by an American carrier to return to service as soon as it is modified. So far, United Airlines is the only airline in the United States with 787s in its fleet.
Boeing said it takes just five days for the new system to be installed and has dispatched 300 mechanics around the world to perform the work.
Aviation regulators in Japan and other countries must also weigh in and approve the system. Japan, in particular, is a critical market for Boeing. About half of all 787s delivered until now are operated by two Japanese airlines — All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines — and Japanese companies manufactured about a third of the plane’s components, including its wings. A Japanese company, GS Yuasa, built the battery.
The Japanese transportation minister, Akihiro Ota, said Friday in Tokyo that Japan’s own assessment of the safety of Boeing’s battery changes was “in its final stages.”
“We’re doing our best to ensure a safe and speedy return to service,” he said.
Hiroko Tabuchi contributed reporting.
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/20/business/faa-endorses-boeing-remedy-for-787-battery.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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