FAA grounds Boeing 787s to address battery fires

  • ASSOCIATED PRESS
  • Posted: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 6:39 p.m.
    UPDATED: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 9:22 p.m.
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AP Photo/Kyodo NewsAn All Nippon Airways flight sits at Takamatsu airport in Takamatsu, western Japan after it made an emergency landing Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. The flight to Tokyo from Ube in western Japan landed at the airport after a cockpit message showed battery problems.

WASHINGTON — Federal officials say they are temporarily grounding Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners until the risk of possible battery fires is addressed.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it will issue an emergency safety order requiring airlines to temporarily cease operating the 787, Boeing’s newest and most technologically advanced plane.

The agency said it will work with Boeing and U.S. air carriers to develop a plan allowing 787s to “resume operations as quickly and safely as possible.” United Airlines is the only U.S. carrier with 787s. It has six.

Only days ago, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood declared the plane safe.

But after an emergency landing in Japan early Wednesday, two Japanese airlines voluntarily grounded their 787s.

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