Boeing 787 Dreamliner Grounded Worldwide

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/17/travel/dreamliner-faa/index.html?iref=allsearch

Last week, around the world, airline authorities ordered the grounding of Boeing’s newest craft the 787 Dreamliner, due to a fire hazard with the battery.  This Thursday the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) released an official report regarding the issue saying that the planes should not be flown until Boeing fixes the problem.  This is a major inconvenience for airlines worldwide because they now have to find planes to fly the routes that the 787’s flew. 

The grounding is a result of an emergency landing of a 787 in Japan last week because of smoke in an electrical compartment. Boeing is currently investigating the problem but there are no reports yet of how long it will be until the 787’s are back in the air. 

Many people within Boeing think that the FAA is overreacting and that the battery fire in Japan was a mere coincidence not affecting any other aircrafts.  United Airlines is the only North American airline that flies the Dreamliner and must ground the aircraft until the FAA is convinced the aircraft is safe.  Grounding the 787 is going to cause both Boeing and airline companies millions of dollars until the problem is fixed.  Boeing claims it is working around the clock to resolve the problem but how long it will take is anyone’s guess.

Although many people disagree with the FAA in grounding the 787, I think they are doing the right thing.  The FAA’s job is to ensure airplane safety and I think that they are just doing their job, even though it is a major inconvenience.