Boeing 787 - The show must go on

Boeing is confident about the design and performance of the Dreamliner and stands by the plane’s integrity. It is a safe and efficient airplane. The company is committed to finding answers quickly and is working closely with its customers as also with the regulatory and investigative authorities.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a long-range, mid-size, wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner seating up to 290 passengers. Built largely of composite materials, its fuel efficiency is 20 per cent higher than that of the Boeing 767. On April 26, 2004, Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) became its launch customer with an order for 50 aircraft. Deliveries were to begin in late 2008. The first 787 rolled out on July 8, 2007, at Boeing’s Everett assembly factory. By then it had received more than 650 orders, the largest launch order book ever. Boeing initially priced the 787-8 variant at $120 million ( Rs. 600 crore), a low figure that surprised the industry. They are currently listed at $207 million ( Rs. 1,035 crore).

Development and production of the Dreamliner involved a number of subcontractors around the world such as Mitsubishi (Japan), Alenia (Italy) KAI and Korean Air (South Korea), Latécoère (France), Saab AB (Sweden), HCL and TAL (India), Labinal (France), Messier-Dowty (UK/France), among many others. Initially, Boeing had to work extensively to trim excess weight. This is a common problem in most aircraft programmes. As part of this process, Boeing redesigned some parts and made greater use of lighter titanium. There were also some labour issues at their new factory at North Charleston, South Carolina. Originally planned to enter service in May 2008, the project suffered a delay of about three years. The maiden flight of the airliner took place in December 2009 and flight testing was completed in mid-2011. The first appearance at an international air show was at Farnborough in July 2010. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certification was received in late August 2011, and the first 787 was delivered to ANA in September 2011. In October 2011, the first commercial flight from Narita to Hong Kong took place. Tickets for the flight were sold in an online auction, with the highest bidder paying $34,000 ( Rs. 1,70,000) for a seat.

The aircraft has suffered early in-service problems and is being reviewed by both the FAA and the Japanese aviation agency. On January 16, 2013, the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive that grounded all Dreamliners in the US. The EASA, Japanese Transport Ministry, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Chile’s Dirección General de Aeronautica Civil (DGAC) followed suit. In September 2012, following instances of failure of the engine provided by GE, the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) had ordered the grounding of part of the fleet. In the Dreamliner’s first year of service, at least four different aircraft experienced problems with the electrical system.

In December 2012, Boeing CEO James McNerney informed the media that the scale of problems was similar to what was experienced on their earlier models, including the Boeing 777. On November 25, 2012, it was reported that Air India had requested a team of engineers from Boeing to visit India to address issues described as ‘teething problems’. Around then, one airline had also reported a cracked cockpit window and problems with the brake system. On January 7, 2013, a battery overheat started a fire onboard a Dreamliner being flown without passengers or cargo by Japan Airlines (JAL). A second 787 also operated by JAL experienced a fuel leak on January 8, and its flight from Boston was cancelled. On January 9, United Airlines reported a problem in one of its six 787s with the wiring in the same area as the battery fire on JAL’s airliner for which NTSB ordered a safety probe. On January 11, 2013, fuel leak was reported by an airline. The same day, FAA announced a comprehensive review of the 787’s safety critical systems, including the design, manufacture and assembly. The US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood stated that the administration was “looking for the root causes” behind the recent issues. The head of the FAA, Michael Huerta said that so far nothing “suggests aircraft is not safe”. On January 13, 2013, a JAL 787 at Narita International, outside Tokyo, during an inspection was found to have a fuel leak. It was the same aircraft that had a fuel leak in Boston earlier. On January 16, an ANA 787 made an emergency landing after the flight crew noticed a computer warning indicating smoke inside an electrical compartment. Passengers and crew were evacuated using emergency slides. On the same day, both the major airlines in Japan announced voluntary grounding or suspending flights for their 787s in view of the series of incidents. These two carriers operate 24 of the 50 Dreamliners delivered till date.

The focus of the FAA review will be on the safety of the lithiumion batteries. If overcharged, lithium-ion batteries can catch fire that is difficult to control as the ensuing chemical reaction produces oxygen. Boeing’s Chief Engineer for the 787, Mike Sinnett, told reporters that lithium-ion was not the only battery choice, but “it was the best then”. The 787 battery contract was signed in 2005, when LiCo batteries were the only type available, but since then newer types (such as LiFePO), which provide less reaction energy during thermal runaway, have become available. This is the first time such action against a US-made passenger plane has been taken since the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 was grounded in 1979 after a deadly crash. Airbus is confident that Boeing will resolve the issue and that no airlines will switch plane type, while others feel the problem could be expensive to resolve and may take time.

The only US-based airline in possession of the Dreamliner is United Airlines, which operates six of these aircraft. Qatar Airways and Ethiopian Air also announced temporary groundings. Thus all 50 aircraft produced till date have been grounded. Boeing has announced halting of new deliveries. Boeing shares fell two per cent to $72.75 after the FAA announcement. The shares of GS Yuasa Corp, a Japanese firm that makes batteries for the Dreamliner, tumbled 4.7 per cent. The stock has dropped 18 per cent since the first of its batteries exploded in a parked Japan Airlines 787.

An FAA review will also examine the mutual interact between the electrical and mechanical systems. The 787 relies more on electrical vis-à-vis mechanical systems. “We are confident that the aircraft is safe. But we need to have a complete understanding of what is happening,” said newly sworn-in FAA Administrator Michael P Huerta.