Grounded: How Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is becoming a nightmare

Regulators around the world have ordered a halt to Dreamliner flights over safety concerns

"We are confident that the 787 is safe and we stand behind its overall integrity," said Boeing CEO Jim McNerney.
(Image credit: Robert Schlesinger/dpa/Corbis)

It just keeps getting worse for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. After a week of mounting problems, regulators around the world, including the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, have grounded the aircraft over safety concerns. In particular, inspectors are scrutinizing the Dreamliner's lithium-ion battery, a cutting-edge piece of equipment meant to reduce fuel costs.

There are currently 50 Dreamliners in use, six of which are operated by United Airlines. Nearly half the world's Dreamliners are owned by Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, which was forced to emergency-land a Dreamliner this week after the battery malfunctioned. It remains unclear what happened to the battery, though it was reportedly a blackened mess when it was removed from the aircraft. Other countries that agreed to ground the aircraft include Poland, India, Chile, and Qatar.

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Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.