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Boeing 787 Fleet Taking Off Again

Company News Thursday, July 18, 2013: Tech Steel & Materials

As many of you may remember, three months ago two Boeing 787’s had to be grounded after the 787’s lithium-ion battery overheated and caught fire on two separate aircraft. The United States and Japan were quick to react to the fires, and both countries grounded the Boeing 787 airliner until further testing could be done on the innovative lithium-ion batteries used by the aircraft.  Well after more than three months of testing and repair work, Japan and the United States have once again cleared the Boeing 787 for flight.

Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines are expected to have all 50 of the already delivered 787’s in the air and in service by the end of June. Meanwhile Boeing is expected to deliver another 60 of the aircraft by years end. Overall the costs of repair to the batteries are estimated as high as $464,763 per plane! Along with this hefty price tag for repairs, both Japan and the United States have adopted new regulations that will help assure long term safety guidelines for future aircraft.  The “airworthiness directive” will enforce the addition of added safety and monitoring features to the 787’s lithium-ion batteries that will minimize the chances of the battery overheating or emitting smoke.