TOKYO--The Japanese government Thursday ordered the grounding of
all 22 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft used by the nation's two main
carriers.
The move comes a day after a battery problem on a 787 domestic
flight operated by All Nippon Airways Co. (9202.TO) prompted an
emergency landing in southwestern Japan, with passengers and crew
using emergency slides to leave the plane.
The incident was the second in just over a week involving the
lithium ion batteries on the high-tech aircraft and prompted the
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to issue an "emergency
airworthiness directive" to halt any flights of the plane by
U.S.-registered carriers. On Jan. 7, batteries on a Japan Airlines
787 caught fire at Boston's Logan International Airport.
"We have received the report on the airworthiness improvement
order. We are taking a similar measure," Ministry of Transport
Senior Vice Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama told reporters Thursday
morning.
The halting of Dreamliner flights poses potentially severe
problems for ANA and Japan Airlines. The two carriers were among
the first global customers for the aircraft and have built their
international strategies around its use.
The aircraft, which started flying in the fall of 2011, employs
lightweight materials to reduce fuel usage but also requires use of
the high-power lithium batteries, which have in the past caused
fires aboard aircraft.
ANA, the launch customer for the Dreamliner, operates 17 of the
aircraft, while JAL has five operational planes. Both have
ambitious purchase plans, with ANA planning on a total fleet of 66,
while JAL plans to have 33 of the planes by 2017, and 45 beyond
that.
"The fact that the Dreamliners save as much as 20% on fuel will
have a impact on profit margins, especially as such costs rise,"
said a stock market analyst in Tokyo.
The FAA gave no timetable for its suspension, saying Boeing will
be required to demonstrate that the 787's "batteries are safe"
before flights can resume. The FAA said it would work with Boeing
and airlines to develop a plan to enable the planes to resume
operation "as quickly and as safely as possible."
Boeing Co. (BA) Chief Executive Jim McNerney said in a statement
that the company is working "around the clock with its customers
and the various regulatory and investigative authorities."
The Japanese transport ministry said investigators from Boeing
would join the probe into the ANA incident, along with
investigators from the FAA and the U.S. National Transportation
Safety Board.
U.S. industry and government experts say much of the
investigation is likely to concentrate on why elaborate
safeguards--designed into the 787's electrical grid from the
start--apparently failed to prevent the recent emergencies.
The Dreamliner has two lithium ion batteries, each weighing
about 63 pounds. One is located in a forward bay under the
cockpit--the location where Wednesday's malfunction occurred--while
the second is in the aft bay under the wings--the site of last
week's fire in Boston.
The reviews by regulators and by Boeing could result in the need
for the company to make changes to the battery systems.
The batteries are supplied by Japan's GS Yuasa Corp. (6674.TO)
and are integrated into the plane by other contractors.
Shares of Yuasa were down sharply on the Tokyo Stock Exchange,
closing 5.0% off at Y305.
Write to Yoshio Takahashi at yoshio.takahashi@dowjones.com
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