Dreamliner sees third glitch in days raising security concerns

TOKYO - Agence France-Presse

The Dreamliner gives hopes to US manufacturer Boeing. But, several mishaps may hurt the aircraft’s reputation.

Japan’s All Nippon Airways cancelled a Boeing Dreamliner flight yesterday because of a brake problem, the third glitch to hit the next-generation aircraft in as many days, said executives.
ANA 698, a domestic flight bound for Tokyo’s Haneda airport, was cancelled because brake parts from the rear left undercarriage needed to be replaced, said a spokesman at Yamaguchi Ube airport in western Japan.
“In the cockpit, an error message related to its brake system was displayed,” an ANA spokeswoman said.
She told that the exact nature and the cause of the
error message was not clear yet, adding that the 98 passengers were switched to another flight for Haneda.

Fire incident in Boston
A Japan Airlines-operated 787 Dreamliner caught fire after landing in Boston on a flight from Tokyo on Jan. 7. The same airline aborted a flight after around 40 gallons of fuel spilled onto the runway the following day.
The Dreamliner has been touted as the great new hope for United States manufacturer Boeing, which says its high-tech composite fiber body reduces weight and improves fuel efficiency. But the incidents this week are only the latest in a series of glitches for the aircraft.
Test engine trouble was the subject of a probe by the US National Transportation Safety Board in July 2012. Besides, ANA said it was grounding five Dreamliners for repairs because of a defect in the Rolls-Royce engine on July 23.
In February 2012, Boeing said around 55 Dreamliners were at risk of developing a fuselage problem.
Dow Jones Newswires reported that electrical problems prompted an emergency
landing in New Orleans by a United Continental Dreamliner flight recently.

ANA orders new aircrafts
ANA, the first company to take delivery of a Dreamliner, began offering flights on the jet in October 2011. The airline told in September it was ordering 11 more 787s in a deal with a list price of around $2.68 billion that will eventually take its fleet of Dreamliners to 66.
The carrier, Japan’s biggest by passenger numbers, said at the time all of the new aircraft will be B787-9 and are expected to be delivered between 2018 and 2021.