The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all US-registered Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft Wednesday to address a possible battery fire risk.
"As a result of an in-flight, Boeing 787 battery incident earlier today in Japan, the FAA will issue an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) to address a potential battery fire risk in the 787 and require operators to temporarily cease operations," the regulator said in a statement.
"Before further flight, operators of US-registered, Boeing 787 aircraft must demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration that the batteries are safe," it said.
The FAA said it would work with Boeing and carriers to develop a corrective action plan "to allow the US 787 fleet to resume operations as quickly and safely as possible."
United Airlines, the world's biggest airline, is currently the only US airline operating the 787, with six airplanes in service.
The warning was prompted by a battery incident during an All Nippon Airways flight that resulted in an emergency landing in Japan Wednesday, following a January 7 battery incident on an ANA 787 that occurred on the ground in Boston.
Dreamliner disaster: Batteries to blame?
"The AD is prompted by this second incident involving a lithium ion battery. The battery failures resulted in release of flammable electrolytes, heat damage, and smoke on two Model 787 airplanes," the FAA said.
"The root cause of these failures is currently under investigation. These conditions, if not corrected, could result in damage to critical systems and structures, and the potential for fire in the electrical compartment."
The FAA said that it also is alerting the international aviation community to the action so other civil aviation authorities "can take parallel action to cover the fleets operating in their own countries."
Two airlines ground entire Dreamliner fleet
Qantas to go ahead with Dreamliners for Jetstar
Qantas has
decided it will not change its order for 15 Boeing 787 aircraft despite
two Japanese airlines grounding their fleets of the Dreamliner
aircraft.
The Flying Kangaroo's vote of confidence in the 787,
Boeing's latest aircraft, comes after All Nippon Airways and Japan
Airlines grounded all their Dreamliners following a series of incidents
in recent days.
A Qantas spokesman said on Wednesday the airline was in regular contact with Boeing about the 787 program.
Qantas working on new fares
"Boeing
has kept the Qantas Group fully informed about the performance of the
787 since it entered commercial service in 2011," the spokesman said.
"We
are confident that the current issues will be resolved before Jetstar
receives its first aircraft as scheduled in the second half of this
year."
Qantas's low-cost unit Jetstar was expected to get the first of 15 787-8 aircraft in the second half of the year.
(Inputs from AAP)
