Airlines operating Dreamliners have been told to remove or inspect emergency locators within the aircraft.
Accident investigators have pinpointed the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) as the cause of a fire on a parked Ethiopian Airlines’ 787 at Heathrow two weeks ago.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an airworthiness directive instructing airlines to take out the ELT from Dreamliners or carry out an inspection of the devices.
“The investigation indicates that the ELT may have initiated the event,” said the FAA of the Ethiopian Airlines’ fire. “Discrepancies within the ELT, if not corrected, could cause a fire in the aft crown of the airplane.”
Manufacturer Boeing has also advised airlines to take similar measures to deal with the ELTs.
United, which is currently the only US-based carrier to be using the 787, has until August 6 to comply with this directive on all six of its aircraft.
Despite the continuing problems with the Dreamliner, Boeing saw revenue rise by 9 per cent to $21.8 billion for the second quarter of the year.
The company has stepped up deliveries of the 787 with Thomson Airways and British Airways becoming the first UK-based companies to receive Dreamliners during the last few weeks.