The 787 has been in operation for 15 months, and Boeing has so far delivered 50 airplanes to eight airlines, including All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines and United Airlines.
Since then, a small number of 787s have had small electrical fires, fuel leaks or other problems, prompting a safety advisory from federal regulators.
This week, the National Transportation Safety Board opened a formal investigation after an electrical fire broke out in a lithium-ion battery pack used to power the auxiliary unit in a 787 operated by Japan Airlines that was parked at Logan International Airport in Boston. The fire occurred on the ground after the passengers and crew had gotten off.
On Tuesday, another of the airline’s 787s, also in Boston, was delayed for nearly four hours after a fuel leak. And on Wednesday, All Nippon canceled a domestic flight after a computer on board erroneously showed problems with the plane’s brakes.
These problems followed an earlier incident, in December, when a United Airlines 787 was forced to divert after one of its six electric generators failed in midflight.
Mike Sinnett, the 787’s chief project engineer, said Wednesday that the program suffered from no more problems than other new planes, like Boeing’s 777 when it was introduced in the mid-1990s.
The 787’s operational reliability — a measure of how often it leaves the gate on time without a mechanical problem — is in the high 90 percent, he said, a rate similar to the 777 at the same time in its production life.
“This is par for the course for any new airplane program,” Mr. Sinnett said in a conference call with reporters. “We have a responsibility and obligation to help assure people about the integrity and the robustness of the design.”
Asked whether the plane was safe, he responded: “Absolutely, I am 100 percent convinced the airplane is safe to fly. I fly on it myself all the time.”
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