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Boeing: 787 battery changes will prevent fires
Changes to the design of its 787 "Dreamliner" batteries will prevent electric fires in the future, airplane manufacturer Boeing said after the tweaks were approved this week by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA announced on Tuesday that it was approving a new certification process for the 787 "Dreamliner" airplane's lithium-ion batteries, which the agency and Boeing cast as a vital step toward the plane's return to service.
Boeing said it was confident the fixes would prevent a reoccurrence of the smoke and electrical fire that led the FAA to ground the planes in January.
"Working with internal and external experts in battery technology, we have proposed a comprehensive set of solutions designed to significantly minimize the potential for battery failure while ensuring that no battery event affects the continued safe operation of the airplane," Boeing CEO for commercial aviation Ray Conner said in a statement.
"First, we've improved design features of the battery to prevent faults from occurring and to isolate any that do," he said. "Second, we've enhanced production, operating and testing processes to ensure the highest levels of quality and performance of the battery and its components. Third, in the unlikely event of a battery failure, we've introduced a new enclosure system that will keep any level of battery overheating from affecting the airplane or being noticed by passengers."
Obama administration officials have cautioned approval of the Boeing battery plan did not automatically mean the planes were ready to fly commercial airline passengers again.
“This comprehensive series of tests will show us whether the proposed battery improvements will work as designed,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on Tuesday. “We won’t allow the plane to return to service unless we’re satisfied that the new design ensures the safety of the aircraft and its passengers.”
Conner said the company would reassure LaHood and airline passengers that the 787 was safe to fly.
"We have a great deal of confidence in our solution set and the process for certifying it," he said. "Before 787s return to commercial service, our customers and their passengers want assurance that the improvements being introduced will make this great airplane even better. That's what this test program will do."
