Jan. 12--Chicago-based Boeing Co. will undergo a high-priority and comprehensive review by the Federal Aviation Administration regarding its newest passenger jet, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, following a rash of malfunctions this week, including a battery fire and fuel leaks, the FAA announced Friday.
At the same time, federal transportation officials supported Boeing, saying repeatedly Friday that the plane is safe.
"We are confident about the safety of this aircraft," said Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta, adding that the FAA's priority in the review will be the plane's electrical systems. He said he would not speculate on how long the review would take.
The wide-ranging review has the potential to deal a setback to Boeing's newest jet, especially if it leads to a costly design change. Boeing shares closed Friday at $75.16, down 2.5 percent, on the New York Stock Exchange.
The 787 is Boeing's boldest effort to revolutionize commercial aviation by using new technology to cut the fuel cost for airlines and provide a more comfortable flight experience for passengers. Airlines are pleased with the savings and have so far given the plane their approval, both by ordering more than 800 jets and mostly sticking by it through the current spate of troubles.
But Boeing already is far over its budget on the new model and more than three years behind schedule in delivering Dreamliner planes.
The unusual FAA review announced Friday will not ground planes or halt production of new 787s but will examine the plane's design, manufacture and assembly, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
"Through it, we will look for the root causes of recent events and do everything we can to make sure these events don't happen again," LaHood said. "I believe this plane is safe, and I would have absolutely no reservation of boarding one of these planes and taking a flight."
The announcement comes amid yet more reports Friday of problems with the highly anticipated jet, including a cracked cockpit window and an oil leak on a Japanese carrier. They add to a rash of other reported problems this week, most seriously a battery fire on a parked 787 in Boston, an incident under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
In Chicago, the plane model is used on temporary United Airlines routes between O'Hare and Houston that run through March. Chicago-based United has five other 787s in service domestically.
"We continue to have complete confidence in the 787 and in the ability of Boeing, with the support of the FAA, to resolve these early operational issues," a United spokeswoman said.
Next week, LOT Polish Airlines plans to begin operating the region's first regular flight on a 787, between O'Hare and Warsaw, Poland.
LOT has conducted preventive inspections of its two 787s, the company said. "All the tests were completed positively -- the systems are efficient and work well," LOT said. "If Boeing recommends additional tests, we are ready for it." LOT's inaugural flight to Chicago is planned for Wednesday, a spokeswoman said.
All told, Boeing has delivered 50 Dreamliners to its airline customers around the world, many to Japanese carriers.
Aviation experts have said the planes are safe and that problems are common on new models, especially ones as revolutionary as the 787, which uses mostly composite materials instead of metals to create a lighter aircraft.
"There's no new aircraft that I can recall over the past 60 years that didn't have glitches at the beginning," said Aaron Gellman, professor of transportation at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Gellman noted that almost all of the malfunctions were found while the affected planes were on the ground, which points to the limited severity of some of the problems and the quality of preflight and post-flight inspection procedures. All the issues so far probably involve quick fixes, he said.
"I can't think of any similar (FAA) investigations, but apart from the battery fire, all the other things we have seen are 'so what?'" said Paul Hayes, safety director at aviation consultant Ascend.
However, observers say the concentration of problems in a short period and the media attention they garner is damaging the reputation of Boeing, already under scrutiny for the late deliveries. The plane's list price is about $207 million.
"For Boeing, it's a big deal, if only for the public relations aspect of it," Gellman said. Intense attention around the Dreamliner -- more than 100 reporters around the world attended Friday's news conference in person or by phone -- seems to amplify the importance of its malfunctions and is "a little overblown," he said, adding that damage to Boeing's reputation is likely short-term. "In the end, I think Boeing will look very good with this airplane."
The growing media storm about the 787 glitches echoes global publicity a year ago over wing cracks on the A380 superjumbo, built by Boeing's European rival Airbus. Those defects are far more serious than anything the 787 has experienced, Gellman said.
The latest Dreamliner problems came Friday, when Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways said a domestic flight from Tokyo landed safely after a crack developed on the cockpit windscreen. "Cracks appear a few times every year in other planes. We don't see this as a sign of a fundamental problem," an airline spokesman said. The same airline later Friday said oil was found leaking from an engine of a different 787 Dreamliner after the plane landed at an airport in southern Japan. No one was injured in either incident.
Ray Conner, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said Friday that the recent problems were not caused by Boeing's outsourcing of production or by ramping up production too quickly. "We are fully committed to resolving any issue that affects the reliability of our airlines," he said.
Boeing CEO Jim McNerney said the company is standing behind the 787.
"We look forward to participating in the joint review with the FAA, and we believe it will underscore our confidence, and the confidence of our customers and the traveling public, in the reliability, safety and performance of the innovative, new 787 Dreamliner."
Reuters contributed.
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