The problems with Boeing Dreamliner continue as the eighth aircraft which was to be delivered earlier this month to Air India has developed some serious snag in its electrical circuit. Its back up system too was not functioning, sources said.
According to the sources, the snag was noticed when Air India officials had gone to take the aircraft’s delivery. Consequently, the delivery was stopped. This could hamper Air India’s plans to put the aircraft on new route, which it has planned keeping Dreamliner in mind.
Air India spokesperson GP Rao did not respond to the call or text message sent by dna.
Till date Air India has received seven plane out of the 27 ordered. The national carrier hopes to revive its fortune on the strength of Boeing Dreamliner 787, which are touted to be the most advanced civilian aircraft at present.
Dinesh Keskar, senior vice-president (sales), Asia Pacific and India, Boeing India did not respond to the mail sent by dna.
In another development, Japanese airline ANA stated that it has found an electrical wiring problem in fire extinguishers for engines of three of its Dreamliner aircraft.
The problem was first noticed during the pre-flight maintenance of one of the Dreamliner aircraft. Media reports claim that hours after ANA’s declaration, its competitor, Japan Airlines turned back a 787 jet en route to Helsinki to check the fire extinguisher wiring.
Problems with Dreamliner are nothing new. On July 25, a Dreamliner aircraft of Air India flight from Delhi to Kolkata caught fire in the rear galley area possibly due to overheating of an oven. About 13 days prior to the incident, a fire broke out in a stationed Dreamliner aircraft belonging to Ethopian airline at London’s Heathrow airport. The investigators later traced the fire reportedly with the Emergency Locator Transmitter, which is used locate the aircraft in case if it crashes. Qatar airways too grounded one its Dreamliner planes around the same time, probably due to a minor technical problem.
The above incidents happened after the Dreamliner aircraft around the world were grounded for over five months following some problem with its batteries. The aircraft manufacturer finally rectified the problem in April.
Aviation safety expert, Mohan Ranganathan says, “This is a very serious issue and Air India and DGCA should not take things lightly. Wiring fault in four aircraft is not something to ignore. They have to be proactive in safety and not reactive”.
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