Boeing's 787 Dreamliners, including Ethiopian’s aircraft deployed on the South African route, remain grounded, with no indication of when they will again fly.
The aircraft were grounded on January 17, pending special inspection requirements conducted by the US Federal Aviation Administration.
“Ethiopian Dreamliners have not encountered the type of problems such as those experienced by the other operators. However, as an extra precautionary safety measure and in line with its commitment of putting safety above all else, Ethiopian has decided to pull out its four Dreamliners from operation and perform the special inspection requirements,” the airline said.
In addition to the four Dreamliners in operation, Ethiopian Airlines has six more on order with the remainder expected to arrive by the end of 2014.
Qatar Airways CEO, Akbar Al Baker, confirmed that the airline would resume 787 operations when it received confirmation that the aircraft met the full requirements of the Airworthiness Directive and its standards. Earlier this month, and before the safety directive was issued, Qatar Airways embarked on its Boeing 787 European expansion with the deployment of the next-generation aircraft on three additional routes – Munich, Zurich and Frankfurt.
Lithium-ion batteries
Following the worldwide grounding of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft, attention to the possible root cause for the aircraft’s troubles is now focused on the lithium-ion batteries used as well as battery-related components.
Lithium-ion batteries offer a combination of high power and low weight and it is believed that the chemistry that makes these batteries attractive may also increase their risk of overheating and catching fire.
According to the FAA, these conditions, if not corrected, could result in damage to critical systems and structures and lead to the potential for fire in the electrical compartment.
Meanwhile, Boeing will continue to manufacture the specific model of aircraft but said it had suspended all deliveries until the aircraft was declared safe.
