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Boeing 787 Flights Could Resume Next Week

FAA approves battery fix.

Commercial flights of the Boeing 787 could resume as early as next week after Boeing on Monday began installing reinforced lithium ion batteries on five grounded 787s operated by launch customer All Nippon Airways.

Teams of Boeing engineers are working at four airports in Japan, including Tokyo’s Haneda and Narita hubs, where the Dreamliners have been parked since all 50 Dreamliners were grounded in mid-January after batteries on two of them overheated.

The FAA last week approved Boeing’s design for modifications to the 787 battery system. The changes were crafted to address risks at the battery cell level, the battery level and the aircraft level. The FAA will require airlines that operate the Boeing 787 to install containment and venting systems for the main and auxiliary system batteries, and to replace the batteries and their chargers with modified components.

“Safety of the traveling public is our number one priority,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “These changes to the 787 battery will ensure the safety of the aircraft and its passengers.”

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