Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is gearing up to take flight once again now that federal regulators have given the company the green light to redesign the plane's lithium-ion battery system on Friday.
The Federal Aviation Administration released a statement this afternoon saying that it has approved Boeing's designs for modifications to the 787′s battery system. These repairs include requiring airlines that operate the jet to install containment and venting systems for the main and auxiliary system batteries. It also includes replacing the batteries and their chargers with new components.
"A team of FAA certification specialists observed rigorous tests we required Boeing to perform and devoted weeks to reviewing detailed analysis of the design changes to reach this decision," said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta in a press release.
Back in January, the Dreamliner fleet was grounded after two planes had incidents of fire and smoke with their batteries.
"The FAA set a high bar for our team and our solution," said Boeing's chairman and chief executive, Jim McNerney. "We appreciate the diligence, expertise and professionalism of the FAA's technical team and the leadership of FAA administrator Michael Huerta and secretary of transportation Ray LaHood throughout this process. Our shared commitment with global regulators and our customers to safe, efficient and reliable airplanes has helped make air travel the safest form of transportation in the world today."
Next week the FAA will publish regulations on how to alter the batteries in the US Federal Register. This will allow Boeing and airlines to proceed with the fixes. The company is said to have found a solution that involves greater separation between the batteries' cells and a venting system for potentially flammable gases.
The National Transport Safety Board and Japanese authorities will continue to investigate the original causes of incidents on the two planes.
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