Boeing requests Dreamliner test flights

Aviation Nigeria

Boeing Co has asked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for permission to conduct test flights of its 787 Dreamliner, suggesting the company is making progress in finding a solution to the battery problems that grounded the entire 787 fleet last month.

Boeing said it has submitted an application to conduct test flights, confirming a report in the Seattle Times on Monday.

The newspaper reported that the FAA might grant permission this week, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.

The FAA said it is evaluating Boeing's request. Boeing would test a potential fix for the problem that caused two batteries to burn on 787s last month, the paper said. But passenger flights would still be weeks if not months away, the paper said, citing two sources.

Japan's transport safety agency said on Tuesday that a CT scan showed six of the eight cells of the main battery on the All Nippon Airway's Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet that made an emergency landing last month were badly damaged, charred and deformed.

The island nation's Civil Aviation Bureau said the FAA had informed the agency that Boeing had sought permission to conduct Dreamliner test flights.

Source: Aljazeera