Boeing 787 Dreamliner Test Flight 'went to plan'

Boeing has said that a test flight to check the 787 Dreamliner's new battery system "went according to plan".

Boeing redesigned its battery after malfunctions on some planes led to the grounding of the entire 787 fleet.

The firm said it would analyse the data and prepare for another test flight aimed at demonstrating the system to regulators in "coming days".

According to some estimates, Boeing is losing $50m (£33m) per week because of the grounding of the 787 planes.

The grounding has also led to Boeing being prevented from delivering new Dreamliners to customers.

Battery redesign
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.

But incidents relating to battery malfunction earlier this year raised some concerns over its safety and led to the grounding of the fleet.

Nippon Airways Incident
In January, a fire started in a battery pack in a Japan Airlines 787 in Boston. Meanwhile, an All Nippon Airways flight was forced to make an emergency landing because of a battery malfunction.

Boeing has since submitted a plan to the authorities to redesign the battery to ensure its safety.

Its plan includes improving the battery design to stop faults from occurring as well as enhancing the production, operating and testing processes.

At the same time, Boeing said the plan included a new battery enclosure system to prevent any possible overheating from affecting the plane.

Some analysts said that the redesign was likely to help address the concerns surrounding the battery.

"I will give the Boeing engineers the benefit of the doubt that they have designed a box that will handle what the battery can give it," said John Goglia, a former board member of the US National Transport Safety Board (NTSB).

No quick fix
The battery redesign plan was approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) earlier this month.

But the regulator had told Boeing to "conduct extensive testing and analysis".

Boeing 787 Dreamliner ready for Restart

Boeing has said that it expects commercial flights of its Dreamliner 787 plane to restart within "weeks".

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.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner: Launch Forecast for Year End

The Boeing Company said Thursday that its troubled 787 Dreamliner would be ready for a test flight by the end of the year (2009) and its first delivery would be in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Boeing also said that it would book a pretax charge of $2.5 billion, or $2.21 a share, in the third quarter because of the delays.

The new schedule, Boeing said in a statement, will give the company time to fix a structural flaw where the wings join the fuselage. The test flight was initially expected at the end of 2007 with the first deliveries in May 2008.

The jetliner is supposed to be lighter and more fuel-efficient than other airliners, and Boeing has 850 advance orders. But it has faced several critical delays in the production of parts, many of which were outsourced.

The latest problem was reported earlier this month when Boeing said it had instructed an Italian company, Alenia Aeronautica, to stop making fuselage sections for the aircraft after small wrinkles were discovered in the carbon composite skin.

Despite the announcement, some airline industry officials remain skeptical that the Boeing will be able to meet the latest revised schedule.