Boeing Dreamliner Cleared for Expanded Long-Range Flying: Airlines Will Still Have to Demonstrate to Local Regulators That They Meet Safety Requirements

The Wall Street Journal
By Jon Ostrower

May 28, 2014 4:45 p.m. ET

Boeing Co. said on Wednesday that U.S. air-safety regulators cleared its 787-8 Dreamliner to operate on a wider range of routes, with the jet able to handle longer oceanic and polar crossings as much as 5½ hours from a suitable landing field in the event of an emergency.

The twin-engine 787 has been limited to flying within three hours of a diversion airport since its introduction in 2011, when Boeing had first intended to secure Federal Aviation Administration approval. The expansion was stymied by reliability issues and the grounding of the Dreamliner for 3½ months in 2013 after incidents involving burning lithium-ion batteries on two aircraft.

The new approval clears Dreamliners to fly as far as 330 minutes from a landing site in the event of a loss of one of its two engines, a major mechanical failure or other problem. Airlines will still have to demonstrate to local regulators that they meet requirements such as fire-suppression and other safety systems before starting such routes.

Dreamliner engine makers General Electric Co. and Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC were cleared separately by regulators to allow airlines to fly the extended routes.

The performance extension is particularly important for airlines based in the Southern Hemisphere that fly long routes over water. Air New Zealand Ltd. is slated to take delivery of the first of the larger Dreamliner models—known as the 787-9—in the middle of the year.

A Boeing spokeswoman said the company expects to secure approval to fly the 787-9 on the extended routes when the jet is certified by the U.S. aviation regulator later this year, but added "that will be up to the FAA."

"Our customers are eager to expand their 787 operations," said Larry Loftis, vice president and general manager of the 787 program, in a statement.

Flights that travel between three and 5½ hours from backup airports are a tiny fraction of total airline flying, but the capability was an important selling point for the 787. Boeing touted its ability to more efficiently link distant cities where demand didn't justify a larger jetliner.

Latam Airlines Group, parent company of LAN Airlines, has been eager to swap its four-engine Airbus A340s with its 787-8s on its route connecting Santiago, Chile, with Auckland, New Zealand, across the South Pacific, which would only be possible with the Dreamliner's extended flying approval.

Originally signifying rules only for two-engine long-range jetliners, the FAA in 2007 set out requirements for its Etops, or "extended operations," rules to cover all long-range operations, regardless of engines. The rules outlined that aircraft systems had to meet certain reliability standards and include specific fire-suppression, oxygen and electrical power system backups.

The 787-8 joins Boeing's 777 models as the only twin-engine jets to have secured the 330-minute flight approval. Airbus has indicated to customers and regulators that it wants its A350 to fly as much as 420 minutes from an alternate landing field.

Three- and four-engine aircraft manufactured since 2007 will be covered under the expanded FAA requirements starting in 2015.

The approval by the FAA is a major boost for the Dreamliner, which has been dogged by high-profile reliability issues.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating one of the two 2013 battery incidents, urged aviation regulators last week to revamp how advanced battery technology is tested and certified on various airliner models. The agency last week suggested the FAA review its original approvals for the batteries or even potentially repeat testing on some Boeing 777 and 737 models. The Dreamliner was cleared to re-enter service in April 2013 after Boeing developed a containment and venting system for the batteries in the event of a failure.

Boeing said that it welcomed the recommendations by the NTSB and would "work with the FAA and other affected stakeholders" as it considers the suggestions. Separately, the FAA in March reaffirmed the jet's design was safe, but acknowledged its certification processes required an overhaul.

Source:  http://online.wsj.com