Boeing’s battery fix certification just weeks away

Posted on 15 Mar 2013 by The Manufacturer

Dreamliner manufacturer Boeing is confident that the certification process for its battery fix will be complete in a matter of weeks.

Boeing’s fleet of Dreamliner 787s, its innovative new mega aircraft, was grounded in January after a series of safety faults caused emergency landings.

Safety problems centred on the lithium ion batteries, use extensively on board to support light weighting of the aircraft.

On Wednesday, the US aviation authorities gave approval to Boeing’s redesign proposals for the batteries.

Today, the aeroplane manufacturer’s president, Ray Connor, confidently stated that certification of the new design and production of replacement batteries for its 50 grounded Dreamliners will take a matter of weeks, not months.

Improvements to the lithium ion batteries used on the Dreamliner, a  unique factor in its design, include enhancing production and testing processes for the part.

The intense public focus and commercial imperative behind finding a solution to battery faults has accelerated Boeing into achieving “the most robust process we have ever followed in improving a part in the history of the company,” according to Mike Sinnett, the chief project engineer of the Dreamliner.