Boeing warns of ice risks for 787 and 747-8 jets

By Kate Rice

Boeing has alerted airlines that 787 and 747-8 jets with General Electric engines should avoid thunderstorms that may contain ice crystals.

Aircraft should fly 50 nautical miles around such storms, Boeing advised.

Boeing issued the advisory after finding that ice crystal formation in some instances reduced the engine's thrust.

United, Japan Airlines and Lufthansa are among the airlines that fly the planes covered in the advisory.

Brake fault forces 787 into emergency landing

By Phil Davies 

A United Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner was forced to make an emergency landing due to a problem with its brake system.

United said that the unscheduled landing occurred on a US domestic flight yesterday.

"United flight 94 from Houston to Denver returned to Houston Sunday due to a brake indicator issue," the airline said.

"Following standard operating procedures, as a precautionary measure, the flight landed in emergency status.

"The aircraft landed safely at 11.58am and our maintenance team is conducting a review of the aircraft."

A Boeing spokeswoman said the problem with the braking system forced the plane "back to base," without giving details of the malfunction or how long it might take to repair it, Sky News reported.

United said a Dreamliner on its way to Tokyo from Denver was forced to land in Seattle last week as a precaution.

The incidents came as Thomson Airways became the first UK airline to introduce the new generation aircraft into service.

Thomson launches flights with 'world's most-modern' aircraft

By Ian Taylor

Thomson Airways launched commercial services with the Boeing 787 on Friday, taking 290 passengers from Gatwick to Mahon, Menorca, on the Dreamliner’s maiden UK-operated flight.

Dave Burling, UK managing director of Thomson parent Tui Travel, said the 787 added a key piece to the company strategy of offering upmarket ‘differentiated’ holidays.

The aircraft will be deployed from next month on services to Cancun and Orlando and later to Thailand, Mauritius and the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Burling said: “The Dreamliner is important in differentiating our long-haul holidays. The flight is a bigger part of a long-haul holiday.”

He added: “We are very confident with the product at the other end.” Burling revealed Thomson opened 35 exclusive or differentiated properties in May.

The company describes two-thirds of its mainstream hotel product as ‘differentiated’, a proportion Burling said would increase. More than 90% of hotels in the programme are exclusive to Thomson.

The state-of-the-art Dreamliner is touted to transform long-haul flying because of its fuel efficiency and range, and the comfort it offers passengers.

Thomson Airways had planned to launch its summer 2013 long-haul programme with the 787 on May 1, but only took delivery of the first of its eight Dreamliners at the end of May.

The aircraft was grounded worldwide in January following a battery fire and only resumed flying last month.

Thomson will launch its long-haul 787 programme on July 8 with flights from Glasgow to Cancun and Manchester to Orlando. Gatwick flights will start the following day and services from East Midlands at the end of July.

The airline will add flights to Phuket in Thailand this winter – the first direct flights to the island from the UK – and to Mauritius and Puerta Vallerta in Mexico next summer.

The company has yet to announce plans for other destinations, but the 787 is capable of flying non-stop from the UK as far as Hawaii.

In the meantime, many passengers on Thomson Airways flights around the Mediterranean will get to experience the aircraft as the airline uses short-haul flights to familiarise its crew.

Those aboard on Friday and Saturday had been told in advance they would fly on the 787, but passengers on future short-haul flights will only find out at the airport.

The pilot, Captain John Murphy, told passengers: “This is a historic day for Thomson Airways. You are the first to fly on the 787 in the UK.

“We’ve been modernising our holidays and flights, and the 787 is the most modern aircraft in the world.”

Thomson reports 'fabulous' demand as Dreamliner arrives

Thomson Airways flew its first Dreamliner into Manchester rather than London Gatwick on Friday as a mark of its support for regional airports.

Managing director Chris Browne said:  "Manchester is really an important airport for us. The Thomson airways boss told Travel Weekly: "We're a big supporter of regional airports.

"We were based in Manchester when we ordered the aircraft."

Browne hailed Tui Travel's announcement on the day the Dreamliner arrived of a deal to buy up to 150 of the latest short-haul Boeing 737s as "huge".

She said: "It's about confidence in the future. The business is doing so well. It's great we can invest so much.

"We had to place the order now to get the options on aircraft or we would have to wait. You could not get a 787 now for years."

Browne described demand to fly on the Dreamliner as "fabulous" despite the delay in delivery. Thomson had been due to start its summer flight programme to Florida and Cancun with the 787 on May 1.

However, the aircraft was grounded worldwide in January following a battery fire and only resumed flying last month.

Browne said: "It's the first time I've ever known people book a holiday because of an aircraft. The summer programme is pretty much sold up. Winter is selling fabulously."

Thomson will launch 787 flights from Manchester and Glasgow on July 8. But prior to that, "There is a serious amount of training for the crew before we begin flying," said Browne.

Thomson plans to operate 47 short-haul flights with the 787 between June 21 and the July 8 start of the long-haul programme."
Browne said: "A lot of people will be very pleasantly surprised."

She said no customer had registered concern about flying on the Dreamliner. "Customers have been very understanding. They trust Thomson and Boeing not to put an unsafe aircraft in the air."

Tui places £4bn order for new-generation B737s

By Lee Hayhurst

Tui Travel has today unveiled a multi billion-pound investment in new-generation aircraft.

Europe’s largest travel group is to order 60 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft worth £4 billion with options on a further 90 of the narrow-body type.

Deliveries will start in January 2018 and run until March 2023.

The 737 MAX aircraft utilises a new-technology engine type claimed to result in a 13% improvement in fuel efficiency and a 40% reduction in noise over today’s main competitors.

The new 737s will provide lower per seat costs than current-generation aircraft, according to Tui.

Around 80% of the group’s passenger flew on 114 narrow-body aircraft across six airline brands including Thomson Airways in the last financial year.

“In order to maintain cost competitiveness and support Tui Travel’s aim to minimise the environmental impact of its activities, the existing narrow-body aircraft will need to be replaced in the next decade,” the company said.

“The proposed transaction will ensure that the group has sufficient aircraft to fulfil its long-term plans and that the expected accrued value justifies the cost of the purchase.”

Chief executive Peter Long said: "A major part of Tui Travel's strategy is to provide our customers with unique holiday experiences they can only get from us.

“This multi billion-pound investment in the B737 MAX - representing the future generation of more fuel-efficient aircraft for our short and medium-haul programmes - will be a further driver in delivering this.

“It comes as the first of our Boeing 787s touches down in the UK to commence replacement of our long-haul fleet with best-in-class aircraft.

“We are leading the way in redefining mainstream holidays, and putting our customers at the heart of everything we do is integral to our continued growth.

“I can confidently say that being able to offer our customers the most advanced, comfortable aircraft, whether they are travelling with us to short or long-haul destinations, while reducing our environmental impact, will only strengthen our position.”

Thomson Airways' first Boeing 787 Dreamliner is due to arrive at Manchester airport this morning. It has flown from the Boeing Everett Factory in Seattle and will be followed with the delivery of a further three Thomson 787 aircraft this summer.

View a timelapse video of Tui's Dreamliner production

 http://bcove.me/y2fphluo

Thomson will fly the aircraft from Gatwick, Manchester, East Midlands and Glasgow airports on long-haul routes to Sanford, Florida and Cancun in Mexico.

Chris Browne, managing director of Thomson Airways, said: “After much anticipation we are very excited to welcome the 787 Dreamliner to our fleet, and as the first airline in the UK to take delivery we hope our customers will enjoy the unique experience of this revolutionary aircraft.

“The introduction of the Dreamliner is a major milestone in our journey of modernising the holiday experience. Customers will be amazed at the unique look, feel and service – all of which will ensure the unique Thomson holiday experience starts as soon as they step on board this fabulous new aircraft.

“The extended flying range of the Dreamliner also unlocks a host of new and exciting holiday options for our customers, increasing the range of long-haul destinations available with Thomson Airways, from four UK airports this summer.

“This winter we’ll fly the Dreamliner direct to Phuket in Thailand and from summer 2014 we will be introducing holidays to Mauritius and Puerto Vallarta, flying direct on our new 787 aircraft.”

The Thomson 787 Dreamliner will carry 291 passengers.

Thomson Airways will be taking delivery of eight Boeing 787 Dreamliners in total, up to May 2015.

Dreamliner completes first flight since grounding

By Phil Davies 

The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight has been successfully completed since the aircraft was grounded in January.

The Ethiopian Airlines 787 flew passengers from Addis Ababa to Nairobi after aviation authorities approved a revamped battery design.

Japanese airlines, which have been the biggest customers for the new-generation aircraft, were due to begin test flights yesterday.

Boeing is expected to complete repairs on all 50 of the grounded Dreamliners by the middle of May.

UK launch customer Thomson Airways is expected to receive the first of its delayed 787s in June followed by British Airways.

Dreamliner grounding poised to be lifted

By Phil Davies 

A three-month grounding of Boeing 787 Dreamliners could begin to be lifted as early as today.

The US Federal Aviation Administration is tipped to announce Boeing has demonstrated that the 787's redesigned batteries are safe.

Regulators have been convinced that various internal enhancements and a new protective metal container will prevent fires and automatically suck smoke or toxic fumes out of the aircraft, theWall Street Journal reported.

Foreign regulators are expected to follow the FAA's lead. That means many of the fuel-efficient 787s could resume carrying passengers as early as May.

FAA chief Michael Huerta and transportation secretary Ray LaHood are poised to give the green light for Boeing to help airlines retrofit more than 50 Dreamliners.

The 787s were grounded globally in January after lithium-ion batteries burned on a pair of aircraft in little more than a week.

The fixes are expected to take less than a handful of days, but other aircraft testing and refresher training for pilots could stretch into additional weeks.

After the expected announcement, Boeing will issue a service bulletin instructing airlines how to revamp the battery systems, and the FAA will issue a formal safety directive mandating the changes.

Boeing says Dreamliner test flight 'went to plan'

Boeing has said a flight to test the new batteries on the Dreamliner "went to plan".

All 50 Dreamliners in operation have been grounded and orders delayed following a fire in a battery on a Japan Airlines 787 in Boston on January 7 and an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways aircraft in Japan shortly afterwards when a battery started producing smoke.

A 787 took off at 12:11pm Pacific Time from the airfield at Boeing’s main production plant in Everett, Washington, for the “functional test flight” and returned two hours later.

The aircraft was the first to be fitted with lithium-ion batteries designed to reduce the risk of overheating.

Boeing said it would assess the data and prepare for another test flight to reassure regulators.

The battery redesign plan was approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) earlier this month.

US transportation secretary Ray LaHood said at the time: "This comprehensive series of tests will show us whether the proposed battery improvements will work as designed.”

But he added: "We won't allow the plane to return to service unless we're satisfied that the new design ensures the safety of the aircraft and its passengers."

FAA approves Boeing plan to fix Dreamliner battery

By Kate Rice

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved Boeing's certification plan for the redesign of the 787 Dreamliner.

The certification plan is the first step toward returning the 787 to service, and will require extensive testing and analysis.

"This comprehensive series of tests will show us whether the proposed battery improvements will work as designed," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Boeing and battery maker clash over 787 fix

By Phil Davies

Boeing and the Japanese company that makes lithium-ion batteries for 787 Dreamliner disagree about what should be included in a package of measures aimed at returning the aircraft to service.

Battery maker GS Yuasa Corporation believes the fix for the battery should include a voltage regulator that could stop electricity from entering the battery, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing government and industry officials.

Boeing proposed its fix to the US Federal Aviation Authority on Friday.

But on Thursday, Yuasa told the agency that its laboratory tests indicated a power surge outside the battery, or other external problem, started the failures on two batteries, according to the newspaper.

The FAA confirmed the meeting with Yuasa, but did not give any details. A Yuasa spokesman declined to comment.

A Boeing spokesman said that the investigation has not showed that overcharging was a factor and that the 787 had quadruple-redundant protection against overcharging in any case.

"Our proposal includes multiple layers of protection covering the known potential probable causes of the events," he said.

He added that Boeing was co-ordinating with key suppliers.

Boeing suggests solution to Dreamliner battery problem

Boeing suggests solution to Dreamliner battery

problem

By Phil Davies  

Boeing has presented measures it hopes will get the Dreamliner back in the air to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The aircraft manufacturer proposed ways to fix the 787’s battery problems which have led to its grounding at a meeting with the FAA on Friday.

Boeing is reported to believe the measures could have the aircraft flying by late March or April.

However, the cause of overheating in a lithium-ion battery on a Japan Airlines 787 has yet to be identified.

The 50 Dreamliners in service around the world have been grounded since January 16 after a battery fire on the Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston and an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways aircraft in Japan.

Investigators believe a short circuit in one of the battery cells caused overheating that led to the fire which then spread through the battery.

Boeing has proposed insulating the battery’s lithium-ion cells from one another to prevent fire spreading, encasing the battery in a fire-proof shell and installing sensors.

It also proposes a venting mechanism to remove fumes which led to the emergency landing.

Japanese investigators have identified the likely cause of the fumes which led to the emergency landing, reporting they found faulty wiring on the battery of the All Nippon Airways 787.

The aircraft’s auxiliary power unit was incorrectly connected to the main battery. However, the root cause of the battery fire in Boston has not been found.

Japanese transport minister Akihiro Ohta said: “It’s too early to say we are over the hump.”

Aviation analyst Douglas McNeill told the BBC: “Until it’s crystal clear what went wrong the FAA will be reluctant to let the 787s resume [flying].”

US transport secretary Ray LaHood has warned the 787 will not fly again until the FAA is “1,000% sure” the batteries are safe.

Meanwhile, All Nippon Airways is cancelling all Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights until at least the end of May.

More than 1,700 flights in April and May are affected, a period that includes Japan's Golden Week holiday. This takes the total number of affected ANA Dreamliner flights to 3,600.

An ANA spokeswoman told the BBC: "Unfortunately, it includes Golden Week, but we have decided to inform our customers in advance as the prospect for their resumption is still unseen."

ANA is Boeing's biggest Dreamliner customer, with 17 of the world's 50 operational 787s.all of which have been grounded. International regulators grounded all Dreamliners last month in so that safety checks could be carried out on their lithium ion batteries.

Thomson limits Dreamliner refunds to £10 premium

Thomson limits Dreamliner refunds to £10 premium

By Phil Davies

Thomson is to refund only the £10 premium paid by passengers per flight if their holidays are affected by delayed delivery of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Boeing has told Thomson that its first Dreamliner will not be delivered as scheduled this month because of on-going safety tests which have grounded all 50 aircraft in service around the world.

Thomson has warned consumers that if delivery is delayed beyond March it may not be able to offer Dreamliner flights to Florida and Mexico as planned from May.

The Tui Travel airline is working on contingency plans which may include using 767s on the long-haul services.

Holidaymakers paid extra for Dreamliner flights, and many booked premium seats that they may or may not be able to get on the replacement flights.

Thomson has said that if it can’t offer customers the Dreamliner flight they paid for, it will refund the £10 per person per flight premium it charged.

The company will also try to offer customers who paid for premium seats on the Dreamliner an equivalent seat on a replacement aircraft. If this is not possible, it will refund the difference.

Thomson says normal terms and conditions apply to anyone wanting to change flights or cancel their holiday because they no longer want to fly on the Dreamliner.

This means paying an amendment fee of £50 per person, up to 21 days before departure, to change flights. After that it would be 90% to 100% of the original cost.

Anyone wanting to cancel their holiday would lose their deposit. Those opting to cancel 69 days or less before departure would lose their deposit and have to pay a cancellation fee.

Thomson said normal terms and conditions applied because it had every faith in Boeing’s ability to fix the safety issues, and once the Dreamliner was back in service Thomson would have “absolutely no hesitation in flying it,” consumer watchdog Which? reported.

Tui puts contingency plans in place for Dreamliner

By Phil Davies

Tui Travel has no plans to cancel its order for 13 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

But the travel group is having to make contingency plans in case deliveries are delayed following trouble with batteries on 787s flown by Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways

Chief executive Peter Long said: "Our view is that this is the right airplane for us and we do not intend to change our order for the aircraft.

"We wait to see that these short-term issues are resolved with the regulatory authorities ... but we don't have visibility around how long that will take."

He spoke ahead of the US Federal Aviation Administration granting Boeing the go-ahead to carry out 787 test flights.

Tui hopes to introduce the aircraft in May and plans to operate the aircraft on long-haul routes from Manchester, Gatwick, Glasgow and East Midlands to destinations including Florida, Mexico, Barbados, Cuba, Kenya and Thailand.

Long said: "Our priority is running our own programme and we will have to determine whether this is going to happen in May. We are building contingency plans because we have to."

Regulators around the world grounded the new generation 787 in mid-January after a battery fire in Boston and a second incident involving a battery on a flight in Japan.

The FAA said the test flights will help collect data about battery performance "while the aircraft is airborne".

A Boeing spokesman said the information will "support the continuing investigations into the cause of the recent 787 battery incidents".

"We are confident that the 787 is safe to operate for this flight test activity," he added.

The FAA said it had asked Boeing to conduct extensive pre-flight testing and inspections and that the flights would be conducted "in defined airspace over unpopulated areas".

But the US National Transportation Safety Board said tests carried out by Boeing on Dreamliner batteries, when they were first certified, missed the high risk of fire.

The tests underestimated the frequency of "smoke events" in the lithium ion batteries.

NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman said that Boeing's safety checks suggested that a smoke event would occur less than once every 10 million flight hours.

However, 787s have only clocked up 100,000 hours of flight-time since entering commercial services, and have experienced two battery fires.

Hersman said that "the failure rate was higher than predicted as part of the certification process and the possibility that a short circuit in a single cell could propagate to adjacent cells and result in smoke and fire must be reconsidered".

Tui reduces losses and grows share in Q1

By Phil Davies

Tui Travel’s underlying operating loss was cut by 15% in the three months to December as the group’s ‘unique’ holidays continue to drive increases in UK market share.

The operating loss reduced by £16 million to £93 million to give an underlying first quarter operating loss of £116 million.

Issuing first quarter results for the period ending December 31, Tui Travel reported “significant” continued growth in UK cumulative market share with summer 2013 up 4% and the key January booking period up 2%, gaining on the 7% increase in the same period last year.

Unique holiday bookings in the UK, Nordics and Germany increased by 15%, 10% and 6% year-on-year respectively for summer 2013.

Direct distribution sales in the UK for summer 2013 grew to 90% from 89% with online sales accounting for 37%, up by 1% over the same period a year earlier.

Tui claims its accommodation wholesaler business “continues to build a global leadership position” with total transaction value up by 9% for this summer, driven by Latin America and Asia where TTV is up by 23%.

The group reported strong current trading with winter 2012/13 83% sold with higher margins and average selling prices in key source markets.

Summer 2013 bookings in the UK and Nordics are up 9% and 10% respectively with margins ahead of the prior year in key source markets.

Chief executive Peter Long said: “We are pleased to report that our strong trading momentum has continued with particularly encouraging growth in the UK and Nordics.

“Our leading position in the UK has further benefited from increased market share as a result of higher demand for our unique holidays. Across all our key markets demand for the overseas holiday remains strong, despite the overall economic environment.

"We are confident that our customer focused strategy is driving performance and based on current trading we expect to be towards the top end of our roadmap guidance of 7 to 10% underlying operating profit growth for the 2013 financial year.”

Tui said: "Positive trading momentum continues for summer, with a third of mainstream summer holidays sold to date.

"Customer demand for our unique holidays has allowed us to increase capacity in the UK, Nordics and Germany. In the UK we have again increased our market share year on year as a result of increased demand for our unique holidays."

Tui Travel will issue a pre-close trading update on March 27.

Boeing vows to continue production of Dreamliner

Boeing intends to deliver more than 60 Dreamliners to airlines this year despite the aircraft being grounded since mid-January by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

That may offer little comfort to Thomson Airways as it awaits delivery of its first 787 next month.

The FAA grounded the aircraft following a fire on a Japan Airlines 787 at Boston and anemergency landing by an All Nippon Airways (ANA) 787 in Japan.

Boeing has suspended deliveries while investigations proceed in the US and Japan, focused on the lithium-ion batteries used as part of the 787’s power system.

However, Boeing chairman and chief executive Jim McNerney said yesterday: “Production of the 787 continues as planned. We remain confident in the integrity of the programme and the safety of the aircraft.”

He told analysts: “We will get to the bottom of this and restore confidence.”

McNerney was speaking as Boeing presented full year results and guidance for 2013, with the company reporting 2012 was its second-best year ever for orders and deliveries.

However, he did so as the two Japanese carriers involved revealed they had repeatedly changed the 787 batteries which are the focus of investigation.

ANA said it had changed the batteries 10 times because of problems in advance of the emergency landing this month.

McNerney refused to comment on speculation the aircraft could be grounded for an extended period as investigators have so far failed to identify the cause of the problem.

He said: “We can’t predict the outcome. We are making progress. We have every expert in the world looking at this issue. Our plan is to continue production of the 787.

“I can’t talk about particulars of the investigation. But I am confident we will identify the root cause of these incidents. When we have the answer we will act on it.”

Thomson Airways, part of Tui Travel, is awaiting news of the investigation with special interest. It is set to be the first UK airline to operate the 787 and was due to take delivery of its first Dreamliner in late February.

Boeing declined to comment on deliveries to specific customers, but a February delivery appears highly unlikely.

McNerney said: “We are limited in what we can say. We deeply regret the impact on customers.”

Thomson has also declined to comment on the delivery date until it receives notification of any changes from Boeing.

However, McNerney revealed Boeing plans to increase production of the 787 from the current five a month to seven a month by mid-2013 and to 10 a month by the end of the year.

More Problems for Boeings 787 Dreamliners

Thomson clients air frustration over expected 

Dreamliner delay

A delay in delivery of Thomson Airways’ first Boeing 787 appears inevitable, with the Dreamliner grounded and investigators in the US and Japan unable to identify the cause of batteries overheating on two aircraft.

Thomson has said it had no details of any revised delivery dates, while Boeing is expected to issue fresh guidance today (Wednesday).

The carrier was due to receive its first Dreamliner in February and to start flying the aircraft on May 1.

Thomson clients expressed frustration at the lack of information, amid fears that they won’t fly on the 787 despite booking and paying a small premium.

David Stacey, who describes himself as “a long-time customer of Thomson” told Travel Weekly: “Thomson needs to offer customers the chance to switch or stick. It’s unfair.”

A spokesman for the airline said: “At the current time, Thomson Airways has not received any communication from Boeing regarding changes to delivery dates. Therefore we cannot comment on speculation of delays. Normal booking conditions apply for customers who wish to amend or cancel their holiday.”

Boeing said: “It is impossible to put a timetable on it. We have hundreds of experts working around the clock.”

A Boeing spokesman told Travel Weekly: “We are producing aircraft, but we’re not going to be delivering any 787s until the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approves measures to meet its air-worthiness directive.”

Investigations are under way in the US and Japan following a fire on a Japan Airlines 787 at Boston and an emergency landing in Japan by an ANA 787 when its main battery overheated. Both incidents involved new lithium-ion batteries used on the 787 as part of its innovative power system.

Officials in Japan ruled out a problem with the battery maker this week, while US regulators said they had made “no significant discoveries” since the aircraft was grounded in mid-January.

With attention shifting to the 787’s electrical system, analysts warned the grounding could be prolonged.

ANA replaced Dreamliner batteries 10 times before problems emerged

Launch customer All Nippon Airways repeatedly replaced batteries on Boeing 787 Dreamliners even before overheating problems emerged, according to a report overnight.

The disclosure prompted the US National Transportation Safety Board to call for Boeing to provide a full operating history of the lithium-ion batteries used on the grounded aircraft, according to the Associated Press.

The regulator made the call after becoming aware of battery problems at ANA that occurred before a battery fire in a 787 parked at Boston airport on January 7. Boeing has already collected some of the information, a spokesman said.

ANA said it had replaced batteries on its 787 aircraft some 10 times because they failed to charge properly or showed other problems, and informed Boeing about the swaps.

Japan Airlines also said it had replaced 787 batteries. It described the number involved as a few.

All 50 787s in service around the world remain grounded after an ANA flight made an emergency landing in Japan when its main battery overheated two weeks ago.

ANA spokeswoman Megumi Tezuka was quoted as saying the airline was not required to report the battery replacements to Japan's transport ministry because they did not interfere with flights and did not raise safety concerns.

Having to replace batteries on aircraft is not uncommon and was not considered out of the ordinary, she said.

Japanese and U.S. investigators looking into the 787's battery problems shifted their attention this week from the battery-maker to the manufacturer of a monitoring system. That company makes a system that monitors voltage, charging and temperature of the lithium-ion batteries.

The NTSB said yesterday that it was conducting a chemical analysis of internal short-circuiting and thermal damage of the battery that caught fire in Boston.