Transport

Dreamliner test flight goes ‘according to plan’

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner takes two hour flight to test redesigned lithium battery

A LOT Polish Airlines 787 passenger jet takes off in a test flight aimed at showing that the plane's new lithium-ion battery system meets regulatory safety standards, a key step in ending a two-month, worldwide grounding of the high-tech jet. REUTERS/Boeing
A LOT Polish Airlines 787 passenger jet takes off in a test flight aimed at showing that the plane's new lithium-ion battery system meets regulatory safety standards, a key step in ending a two-month, worldwide grounding of the high-tech jet. REUTERS/Boeing
Tue Mar 26 2013 - 09:30

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner made a two-hour flight to test its redesigned lithium battery, which the company said "went according to plan".

The fleet has been grounded since January when lithium-ion batteries aboard the Dreamliner overheated.

A series of test flights have been scheduled to help the US plane maker show the improvements in its redesigned battery and allow the model to return to service.

Boeing will analyse information from the flight and prepare for further flights, to show the 787’s performance to the US Federal Aviation Administration, company spokesman Marc Birtel said.

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It is estimated that the two month grounding of the high-tech jet is losing Boeing $50 million (€38.8 million) every week.