TOKYO-Boeing
Chief engineer of the 787 Dreamliner said Saturday that lithium changes
The ion battery system is sufficient to guarantee the safety of the aircraft, although the company failed earlier this year to find the cause of the battery failure that caused the aircraft to run aground around the world since the medium term. January.
Michael Sinatra briefed reporters in Tokyo after Japan and the United States on the improved batteryS.
Once the battery is modified, the regulator allows operators to resume 787 flights.
The new battery system is designed to prevent fires and there is a "shell" around the battery to accommodate fires to prevent heat from being released on the plane, Sinatra said at a news conference in Tokyo.
"Even if we never know the root cause, the housing will keep the plane safe, eliminate the possibility of fire, keep the heat away from the plane, keep the smoke away from the plane, and it ensures that no matter what happens to the battery, whatever the root cause, "The plane is safe," he said, adding, "In some ways, what the root cause is hardly important.
He said Boeing has identified more than 80 potential reasons and addressed all of them in the new design.
50 dreamplanes in service around the world stopped flying in the middle.
On January, a smoke battery incident occurred on two different aircraft, resulting in the cancellation of hundreds of flights and loss of income.
Japan's two largest airlines have 787-
Japan Airlines has 17 jets and Japan Airlines has 7.
They have started installing new batteries in the past week, and airline officials say commercial flights will resume around June as safety improvements are expected to take weeks to complete.
Sinatra said it would take five days to completely modify a plane, and the repair of nine jets was almost complete.
Japanese battery maker GS Yuasa is shipping new batteries to airlines, he said.
ANA plans to fly a modified Dreamliner in Japan on Sunday. The only U. S.
The airline that uses 787 is a United Airline with six.
Japan requires additional safety measures, including a test flight after the installation of the new system.
Operators need to monitor the new battery system during the flight, and the authorities will require airlines to conduct detailed sampling checks on the battery after a period of use.
Special training is provided for all on-board personnel, including flight 787 pilots, and airlines will disclose to the public information on security measures taken on Flight 787.
So far, Boeing has orders for 840 aircraft.
Sinnett declined to comment on global maintenance costs.
He plans to meet with executives of Anna and JAL during his trip to Japan.