Qatar Airways said yesterday it had taken one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners out of service following what it described as a “minor” technical issue, as pressure mounted on the plane maker over possible new electrical problems with the advanced jet.
Two people familiar with the matter, asking not to be identified, said smoke had been reported near an electrical compartment while the jet was on the ground in Doha. A failure in a similar bay caused a fire during a test flight in 2010, and three of the jets, including one owned by Qatar Airways, had electrical problems last December.
The 787 has suffered a spate of mishaps in recent weeks, including a spontaneous fire on an Ethiopian Airlines-owned 787 that broke out while the plane was parked at a remote stand at London’s Heathrow airport for eight hours on July 12.
India’s aviation regulator said earlier it had started an investigation after an oven in a 787 operated by Air India overheated during a domestic flight, causing smoke. There was no interruption to services.
Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc, which operates the world’s biggest fleet of Dreamliners, also said yesterday it had found damage to the battery wiring on two 787 locator beacons, made by Honeywell International Inc.
The US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing instructed airlines to inspect or remove the beacons, after UK investigators found two wires pinched together in the beacon inside the Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner at Heathrow. The resulting fire caused extensive damage to the plane.
27/07/13 Reuters/Times of Malta
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Two people familiar with the matter, asking not to be identified, said smoke had been reported near an electrical compartment while the jet was on the ground in Doha. A failure in a similar bay caused a fire during a test flight in 2010, and three of the jets, including one owned by Qatar Airways, had electrical problems last December.
The 787 has suffered a spate of mishaps in recent weeks, including a spontaneous fire on an Ethiopian Airlines-owned 787 that broke out while the plane was parked at a remote stand at London’s Heathrow airport for eight hours on July 12.
India’s aviation regulator said earlier it had started an investigation after an oven in a 787 operated by Air India overheated during a domestic flight, causing smoke. There was no interruption to services.
Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc, which operates the world’s biggest fleet of Dreamliners, also said yesterday it had found damage to the battery wiring on two 787 locator beacons, made by Honeywell International Inc.
The US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing instructed airlines to inspect or remove the beacons, after UK investigators found two wires pinched together in the beacon inside the Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner at Heathrow. The resulting fire caused extensive damage to the plane.
27/07/13 Reuters/Times of Malta
