Japan Press Weekly

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2013 May 8 - 14 [POLITICS]

Japan’s pilots concerned over resuming B787 flights

Japan’s pilots are voicing concern about the plan to resume flight operations of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets in June. The aircraft have been grounded worldwide due to a series of battery troubles since mid-January.

Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) recently announced that they will restart the Boeing 787 flights on June 1. Of all 50 Dreamliners in the world, about a half is owned by the two companies.

The Japan Airlines Captain Association issued a statement on May 7 and made a request that the airline should be cautious about resuming the jetliners’ commercial service, saying that the company’s explanation about the faulty batteries is insufficient to dispel concerns over safety.

The association was formed soon after a JAL jumbo jet crash in 1985 that killed a total of 520 passengers, and thus it has a strong awareness of safety issues.

The comment points out that the 787’s battery supplies power to many important onboard systems, such as a device that activates fire-extinguisher in case of an engine fire, a system to help passengers escape in an emergency, and radio equipment to communicate with a control tower. “The battery system is vital to aircraft, so battery malfunctions should be avoided at any cost,” it notes.

The pilots’ organization is going to continue to negotiate with JAL, seeking a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the problem as well as to have proper measures implemented to prevent the recurrence of malfunctions.

Related past article:
> JCP Kokuta calls for Japan’s own inspections of Boeing 787 [April 27, 2013]