Qatar Airways still has no firm date for when it will put the Boeing 787 back into service after three months of having its flagship aircraft parked at Heathrow.
All 787s worldwide were grounded in January following overheating problems with the aircraft’s lithium ion batteries. Qatar’s was at Heathrow when the decision was made to ground the type, meaning that the airline has racked up thousands in parking charges that it will want to recoup from the manufacturer.
A spokeswoman for the airline said no date had been set for the return of the aircraft on the Heathrow route.
Boeing has finally gained approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a remedy to its battery problems which caused the longest-ever grounding of a modern airliner.
The manufacturer has not given a date for resumption of 787 services, but said that the FAA approval “clears the way for us and the airlines to begin the process of returning the 787 to flight”.
Boeing also said that it will begin making changes to new Dreamliner aircraft, “with deliveries expected to resume in the weeks ahead”, adding that it “expects to complete all planned 2013 deliveries by the end of the year”.
Teams have now been deployed to locations around the world to begin the installation process, with aircraft being modified “in approximately the order they were delivered”.
The manufacturer said that the improved battery system “includes design changes to both prevent and isolate a fault should it occur”, with a new steel enclosure “designed to keep any level of battery overheating from affecting the airplane or even being noticed by passengers”.
British Airways had been scheduled to take delivery of its first 787 in May. No announcement has so far been made by either Boeing or BA regarding this.