WASHINGTON: A Boeing 787 Dreamliner will fly for the first time in three weeks in a so-called ferry flight after the company won permission on Wednesday from US regulators.
In the special one-time flight, the plane -- with no passengers and just the minimum crew needed to fly it -- will travel on Thursday from Forth Worth, Texas, where it was being painted, back to Boeing's assembly plant in Everett in the northwestern state of Washington.
The 50-strong fleet of Boeing's newest plane was grounded January 16 because of repeated problems with its lithium-ion battery. One of them caught fire on an All Nippon Airways flight in Boston a week earlier.
The Federal Aviation Administration said that before the ferry flight, the crew must carry out a number of inspections to be sure the batteries and cables show no signs of damage.
"The pre-flight checklist will include a mandatory check for specific status messages that could indicate possible battery problems," the FAA said.
"While airborne, the crew must continuously monitor the flight computer for battery-related messages, and land immediately if one occurs."
- AFP/xq
Boeing Dreamliner to make special one-time flight
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Boeing Dreamliner to make special one-time flight
