Incident
leads to closure of runways at airport, while technical fault causes another
787 to abandon transatlantic flight
The Guardian, Gwyn Topham, transport correspondent, Friday 12 July 2013
 |
| The fire on the Ethiopian Airlines plane delayed flights for over an hour. No passengers were aboard. Photograph: Sky |
Fears over
the safety of the world's newest passenger plane have been raised further after
a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by Ethiopian Airlines caught fire at Heathrow
airport – and another 787 carrying British holidaymakers to Florida returned
home after a technical fault.
Arrivals
and departures were suspended for over an hour at the London airport as fire
crews put out the fire on the Boeing 787, which was still at a departure gate,
just after 4.30pm on Friday.
Heathrow
said the aircraft was parked on a remote stand and no passengers were aboard.
The emergency services said the fire had been extinguished and the cause was
unexplained. Both runways which were closed immediately after the incident were
later reopened.
While the
cause of the blaze was yet to be determined, the fire immediately raised
concerns that recurrent problems with the state-of-the-art lithium batteries
had not been resolved.
Boeing
said: "We're aware of the event. We have Boeing personnel on the ground at
Heathrow and are working to fully understand and address this." The US
National Transportation Safety Board said it would send a representative to
assist in the investigation of the fire.
In a
separate incident on Friday afternoon, a new Thomson Airways Dreamliner plane
returned to Manchester airport after taking off on a transatlantic flight.
Thomson – the airline of travel giant TUI – was the first British customer for
Boeing's new plane, taking passengers for the first time last month after the
long-delayed delivery of its first 787s.
Thomson
said its flight TOM126 to Sanford, Florida, "experienced a technical issue",
with the aircraft returning to Manchester airport as a precautionary measure.
A
spokesperson said: "Passengers have disembarked and our dedicated team of
engineers are now inspecting the aircraft. Our customers will be moved to an
alternative aircraft to ensure they get away on their holiday as soon as
possible.
"The
safety of our customers and crew is of paramount importance and we would like
to apologise for the delay caused."
Flight
tracking data showed the plane circling the coast off north Wales, apparently
to dump fuel before landing. Thomson charges its passengers a £10 premium each
way to fly in the 787, with seats only available as part of a holiday.
The Boeing
787, the pioneering "plastic plane" made largely of carbon fibre and
with more systems running on electric circuits, has been heralded as a far
quieter, more fuel-efficient aircraft.
Production
problems with the pioneering technology meant the first 787s did not go into
commercial service until late 2011, three years late, with the Japanese carrier
All Nippon Airways.
But a spate
of incidents – including two battery fires on ANA in January this year, one of
which forced an emergency landing – saw US safety authorities recommend the
grounding of the entire worldwide fleet. Ethiopian Airlines was the last
airline to withdraw its four Dreamliners from service and the first to restart
operations, in late May, after Boeing had worked for four months to resolve the
problems.
However,
ANA has since had several flights disrupted by technical issues.
British
Airways has ordered 24 of the planes, and took delivery of its first Dreamliner
two weeks ago, although it has yet to be put into commercial service.
Boeing
shares plunged 7%on Friday after news broke. Aviation consultant John
Strickland said: "This is one of the key aircraft Boeing is depending on
for its success for the next 20 years, with over 900 already ordered – and
airlines are also depending on the fuel savings for their businesses."
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