-- Air India has no plan to ground Dreamliner fleet
-- Airline is continuing to operate its six Dreamliner
planes
(Rewrites, adds details)
By Santanu Choudhury
NEW DELHI--State-run Air India Ltd. said Wednesday it is waiting
for advice from either Boeing Co. (BA) or aviation authorities in
India or the U.S. about its Dreamliner fleet, after a series of
incidents prompted concerns about the safety of the jet.
Japan's two largest carriers--All Nippon Airways Co. (9202.TO)
and Japan Airlines Co. (9201.TO)--grounded their Dreamliners for at
least a day for inspections after a jet operated by ANA made an
emergency landing at Japan's Takamatsu airport.
ANA and Japan Airlines are among the biggest operators of the
Dreamliner.
"As of this morning, we are operating all our Dreamliner
aircraft normally," an Air India executive told the Wall Street
Journal.
"We have not received any advice from either the manufacturer or
the aviation authorities in India or the U.S. about the
Dreamliners," he added.
Officials at India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation as
well as the civil aviation ministry couldn't be reached for
comments.
The Dreamliner had been plagued with various production
problems, which delayed delivery of the jet by several years.
The Dreamliner is made of composite materials and a vast network
of electronics, a shift from aluminum and hydraulics used in
conventional jets. More than 50 suppliers have worked with Boeing
on the plane.
The jet--marketed by Boeing as 20% more fuel-efficient than
similarly sized jets--is considered crucial for the turnaround of
Air India.
The carrier, which posted losses for five consecutive years
since 2007, has six Dreamliners which it uses on some domestic
routes as well to Dubai, Frankfurt and Paris.
The national carrier ordered a total of 27 Dreamliner jets in
January 2006. It received the first aircraft last September.
India's civil aviation ministry had already expressed its
concern over a fire that broke out Jan. 7 aboard an empty
Dreamliner of Japan Airlines while the jet was parked at Boston's
Logan International Airport.
But, a senior ministry official had said that it would wait for
the results of an ongoing investigation in the U.S. by the National
Transportation Safety Board before it takes any action.
The NTSB said Wednesday it is monitoring the emergency landing
of ANA's Dreamliner jet and that it would include the latest
incident in its broader review of the aircraft.
Air India's first Dreamliner had developed a snag in its power
equipment liquid cooling system and electrical power system in
September, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said last month in
Parliament.
The carrier plans to take delivery of six more jets by the end
of December, and the remaining 15 through 2016
Write to Santanu Choudhury at santanu.choudhury@dowjones.com
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