The EASA, Japanese Transport Ministry, India's
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and
Chile's Dirección General de Aeronautica Civil (DGAC)
followed suit and grounded the Dreamliners in their
jurisdictions. After Boeing completed tests on a revised
battery design, the FAA approved the revised design on
April 19, 2013, and lifted the grounding on
April 26, 2013. The 787 returned to passenger
service on April 27, 2013 with Ethiopian Airlines.
The improved battery system includes design changes to
both prevent and isolate a fault should it occur. In
addition, improved production, operating and testing
processes have been implemented. The new steel enclosure
system is designed to keep any level of battery
overheating from affecting the airplane or even being
noticed by passengers.
"This is a comprehensive and permanent solution with
multiple layers of protection," said Boeing Commercial
Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner. "The ultimate
layer of protection is the new enclosure, which will
ensure that even if a battery fails, there is no impact
to the airplane and no possibility of fire”.
The 787 has been designed to be 20% more fuel
efficient than the 767 it is to replace. The
Dreamliner's distinguishing features include mostly
electrical flight systems, a four-panel windshield,
noise-reducing chevrons on its engine nacelles, and
a smoother nose contour. It shares a common type
rating with the larger 777 twinjet, allowing
qualified pilots to operate both models, due to
related design features.
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