The comments come just days after the US airline regulator approved its plan to redesign the lithium-ion batteries used on the plane.
All 50 Dreamliners in operation were grounded earlier this year after batteries on some planes emitted smoke.
Boeing said it had found a fix for the problem and had been carrying out tests on the proposed solution.
Ray Connor, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the timing of the start of commercial flight would depend on how fast the firm can "move through the certification process".
"We don't anticipate that being months, we are thinking more along the line of weeks," he said.
'More confident' The Dreamliner 787 is the first plane in the world to use the lithium-ion batteries, which are lighter, hold more power and recharge more quickly.
It is also said to be one of the most advanced and fuel-efficient planes in the industry.
However, concerns have been raised over its safety after a string of incidents earlier this year.
In January, a fire started in a lithium-ion battery pack of a Japan Airlines 787 in Boston. Meanwhile, an All Nippon Airways flight was forced to make an emergency landing because of a battery malfunction.
The incidents led to the entire fleet of Dreamliners being grounded by the authorities.
However, Boeing has since submitted a plan to redesign the batteries to ensure their safety.
Its plan includes improving the battery design to stop faults from occurring, enhancing the production, operating and testing processes, and introducing a new battery enclosure system to prevent any overheating from affecting the plane.
"We may never get to the single root cause, but the process that we've applied to understanding what improvements can be made is the most robust process we have ever followed in improving a part in the history," said Mike Sinnett, the chief project engineer of the Dreamliner.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment