Airlines Everywhere Are Grounding Their Boeing Dreamliners
That order applied only to United Airlines, as no other American airlines fly the Dreamliner, but the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) followed suit, as have other airlines, Aviation Week reported.
Early this morning, the AP reported Air India had grounded its six 787s.
In a statement today, Qatar Airways, whose fleet of five Dreamliners is the largest in the Middle East, stopped flying the new jet, according to Reuters.
LOT Polish Airlines has followed suit as well, and even cancelled a ceremony celebrating the landing of its Dreamliner in Chicago after a flight from Warsaw, the Telegraph reported.
The FAA's order came soon after All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines each voluntarily grounded their fleets of Dreamliners yesterday, after an ANA 787 had to make an emergency landing because of a battery malfunction.
ANA and Japan Airlines, which operate about half of the 50 Dreamliners Boeing has delivered so far, grounded their fleets after that incident.
The FAA review will address the risk of the jet's lithium ion batteries catching on fire, one of many reported problems that have plagued the Dreamliner in recent weeks. The administration has provided no timeline for how long the planes will be kept on the ground.