LOT's Dreamliners could be flying 'in weeks'

Boeing 787 Dreamliner: photo - Esbe2510 Wikimedia Commons

Ray Connor, CEO of Boeing Commericial Airplanes, said in Tokyo on Friday that “it is reasonable to expect that we could be back up and going in weeks, not months”.

“As soon as our testing is complete and we obtain regulatory approvals, we will be positioned to help our customers implement these changes and begin the process of getting their 787s back in the air,” Connor told journalists.

The Dreamliners were grounded on 16 January after battery problems on a Japanese ANA flight.

Boeing said it would continue to use lithium ion batteries on its 787s, which offer considerable advantages in terms of weight and energy use over other types of batteries.

Poland's LOT national airlines met with Boeing representatives last week to discuss financial compensation for the loss of the use of the two airplanes it took delivery of last year.

The grounded Dreamliner 787s are costing the debt-laden LOT up to 10 million zloty (2.5 million euros) a month in lost revenue.

The cost-effective Dreamliners are a vital part of LOT's strategy to reduce debt levels, after posting losses of up to 157.1 million zloty (38 million euros) in 2012. (pg)