For the first time in nearly three months, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is in the headlines for a positive reason—they’re returning to the skies! Of course, this comes after battery fires and millions upon millions lost by grounding the jets, but still—good news.
According to Reuters, the fix required for the airplane’s batteries won’t be a cheap one, as the FAA “pegged the cost of repairing United’s six jets at about $2.8 million.” The installation of the modified lithium-ion batteries in Dreamliners should be complete by mid-May, meaning tickets are again being sold for 787 flights.
There are currently 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in service with airlines, all of which will be “fixed” and flying again as soon as the airlines can handle it. Here’s the dates for when airlines expect their 787s to again fly with paying passengers:
· Ethiopian Airlines: already up in the air! The first flight left Addis Ababa for Nairobi on April 27. Read a trip report of the flight over at the official Boeing Blog.
· Air India: “end of May,” according to the WSJ
· ANA: June 1, although they are currently flying high-profile test flights without passengers.
· Japan Airlines: Early June, according to a note from Japan Airlines’ President.
· LAN: No official date announced, but the aircraft shows up in the LAN flight schedule beginning June 1.
· LOT: June 5, on the new nonstop route between Warsaw and Chicago.
· Qatar Airways: At least four of their five will be back in the skies on May 2, beginning with flights between Doha and Dubai. Doha to London-Heathrow will resume on May 15.
· United: Late May (likely May 31) on domestic US routes, with the first international route (Denver to Tokyo-Narita) starting up on June 10. Flights on the 787 from LAX to Tokyo and Shanghai, and Houston to Lagos will be back in the skies come August.
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