Qatar Airways has become the latest carrier to ground its fleet of Dreamliners over safety concerns.
The Doha-based airline is the only carrier to operate a scheduled Boeing 787 service from the UK with its daily flights from Heathrow to Doha.
But it decided today (January 17) to suspend all B787 services following instructions from the Federal Aviation Administration in the US and Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority about the safety of batteries being used on the Dreamliner.
CEO Akbar Al Baker said: “Safety remains the number one priority for Qatar Airways. We ensure all our aircraft meet the most stringent safety standards and this will not be compromised in any way.
“In light of recent events surrounding the Boeing 787 Dreamliner worldwide, we are actively working with Boeing and the regulators to restore full customer confidence in the 787.
“Qatar Airways will resume 787 operations when we are clear that the aircraft meets the full requirements of the airworthiness directive and our standards which assure the safety of our passengers and crew at all times. So we are not flying the aircraft until and only such a time this is achieved.”
Qatar currently has five B787s in service including the aircraft that operates on the Heathrow-Doha route.
qatarairways.com