Business
Ethiopian Airlines to become world’s first carrier to resume Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights
The grounding has cost Boeing an estimated US$600 million, halted deliveries and forced some airlines to lease alternative aircraft. Several airlines have said they will seek compensation from Boeing, potentially adding to the plane maker’s losses.
Randy Tinseth, Boeing’s vice president for marketing, said in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, that the planes for all airlines would be modified and they would then work with their own regulatory authorities to determine when flights would resume.
“Each airline will be a little bit different,” he told reporters, adding that Boeing expected to meet its target of delivering more than 60 of its Dreamliner planes in 2013.
“The timing will change a little bit but we will be able to meet our commitments to our customers in terms of delivery this year,” Tinseth said.
Ethiopian Airlines previously said its fleet did not suffer any of the technical glitches experienced by other Dreamliner jets, though it withdrew the planes from service to undergo special inspection requirements mandated by the FAA.
