More problems for the Boeing Dreamliner, a United Airlines flight with 184 people on board, was forced to make an emergency landing in New Orleans Tuesday. This in addition to a separate ruling by the Federal Aviation authority that checks must be carried out on the rest of the fleet.

A brand-new "Dreamliner" plane of the U.S. carrier United Airlines was forced to make an emergency landing in the U.S. state of Louisiana Tuesday morning because of a mechanical problem, U.S. media reported.

The Dreamliner is still a nightmare for Boeing. Barely a month after the official launch of the mammoth commercial aircraft, the federal aviation authority has ordered inspections on fuel line connectors after two carriers, whom Boeing has declined to name, reported problems. Japan's all Nippon airways confirmed they had reported a leak to the FAA and Boeing in late October.

Separately, a United Airlines Dreamliner bound for Newark from Houston Tuesday was forced to make an emergency landing in new Orleans due to a mechanical problem.

United is Boeing's first us Dreamliner customer. The huge Dreamliner seats up to 290 passengers and was designed to be more fuel efficient than other aircraft, lighter and low on engine noise.

Boeing has confirmed that the FAA has required inspections on the installation of fuel line connectors adding that:

This action was taken after a determination that two connectors had been improperly installed on airplanes that had been delivered. The inspections have already been completed on approximately half of the in-service fleet.

Boeing is also taking appropriate steps to ensure proper installation on airplanes in production. Mechanical issues on commercial airlines are not uncommon, but Boeing is still working to overcome negative perceptions of the troubled aircraft -it's been plagued by manufacturing problems:

George Ferguson, Aeronautics Analyst of Bloomberg, said, "The dreamliner's a new program and new programs have technical issues that have to get managed through. So Boeing is managing these difficulties. There's nothing necessarily wrong with this aircraft, it's been setting speed records and distance records it's been quite a good airplane."

Its launch was delayed by three and a half years - even a planned us inaugural flight in July of this year was interrupted by a pre flight fracture in an engine component.

And throughout 2010 in January debris was left in fuel tanks of a test jet, in June flaws were found in tail sections, and in November debris in an electrical panel led to an in flight fire.

Boeing is currently facing a backlog of over 800 orders worldwide, worth over 173 billion dollars.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)