FAA Grounds All Boeing 787 Dreamliners Over Safety Concerns

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded all Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights on Wednesday, one day after a jet operated by All Nippon Airways experienced a battery failure, forcing it to make an emergency landing.

In announcing the emergency grounding, the FAA stated that it requires a “corrective action plan” before it will allow 787 flights to resume.

The agency added that it will work with Boeing and airlines operating the Dreamliner to develop a plan to resume operations of the aircraft as soon as possible, according to The Wall Street Journal.

United Airlines, owned by United Continental Holdings Inc., announced it will ground all six of its Dreamliner aircraft immediately. Japan’s two main airlines have already suspended the 787 from service following the emergency landing Wednesday morning.

ANA and Japan Airlines will keep their Boeing 787 aircraft grounded until investigators finish reviewing the latest problem with the plane. The investigation is expected to finish on Thursday.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, intended as the best aircraft built to date, has suffered numerous problems including battery problems and electrical troubles. Last week, a pilot experienced a crack in the cockpit window shortly after takeoff.

NBC News reports that the Boeing has not yet responded to questions for comment regarding the situation. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airlines currently operate 24 of the 50 Dreamliners in service so far. Siva Govindsamy, Asia managing editor at Flightglobal, an industry news service, stated:

“The most number of 787s in service are in Japan right now, therefore that is a big market for Boeing. A lot of the existing Boeing customers will be looking to see what action is taken in Japan in particular before they decide what action they are going to take with their orders.”

Despite the problems, India’s aviation regulator has promised not to ground its Dreamliner jets until after Boeing submits a safety report. Australian carrier Qantas also promised to keep its 15 orders for the Dreamliner on track. A senior Boeing engineer also spoke last week about the aircraft, saying that the airplane maker has confidence in the 787 despite recent problems.

Despite the confidence, industry watchers have urged Boeing to take no risks with its newest plane and to take additional steps as soon as possible to ensure the safety of the aircraft.