NEW DELHI--India's civil aviation regulator will likely decide
later Tuesday on whether to lift an over three-month-long ban on
Boeing 787 flights by flag carrier Air India Ltd., a senior
aviation ministry official said.
The regulator had grounded Air India's fleet of six Dreamliners
in mid-January, matching an order by the Federal Aviation
Administration on U.S.-registered 787s after lithium-ion battery
malfunctions on two separate flights operated by Japanese carriers
raised safety concerns.
The ministry official, who declined to be named, told The Wall
Street Journal that Boeing Co. has finished installing new battery
systems on one of Air India's Dreamliners, a process that was
monitored by the nation's Directorate General of Civil
Aviation.
The official said also that a team from the U.S. aircraft maker
will update the regulator on the modification plans on the
remaining five 787 aircraft.
"If we are satisfied about the work done on the first plane,
then we will take a final decision on permitting flights on all the
planes," the official said.
Though the official didn't give any timeframe for resumption of
the 787 flights, it is likely that the aircraft can resume flying
once the modification works are done if the regulator lifts the
flight ban.
On Friday, India's civil aviation minister Ajit Singh that he
expected Air India to resume commercial flights on the Dreamliners
from mid-May, initially operating on domestic routes.
Executives from Air India couldn't immediately be reached for
comment.
The FAA approved Boeing's new battery-system design on April 19,
allowing airlines to begin modifying the 50 Dreamliners that have
been delivered since September 2011.
Ethiopian Airlines became the first operator to restart 787
commercial flights on April 27, followed by Qatar Airways on May 1
.
The Boeing 787, which is more fuel efficient and cheaper to
operate than many existing widebody aircraft, is vital to
loss-making Air India's efforts to make a turnaround as it plans to
deploy the fuel-efficient jets to fly to more foreign destinations.
The airline had ordered a total of 27 Dreamliners.
Write to Santanu Choudhury at santanu.choudhury@wsj.com
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