Japan says confidence in Dreamliner at stake amid probes
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TOKYO (REUTERS) - Japan's transport minister acknowledged that passenger confidence in Boeing Co's new 787 Dreamliner jet is at stake, as both Japan and the United States have opened broad and open-ended investigations into the plane after a series of incidents that have raised safety concerns.
Japanese authorities said on Monday they would investigate fuel leaks on a 787 operated by Japan Airlines Co, and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said later its agents would analyse the lithium-ion battery and burned wire bundles from a fire aboard another JAL 787 at Boston's Logan Airport last week.
The Dreamliner, the world's first mainly carbon-composite airliner, is billed as Boeing's most fuel-efficient jet and a potential game-changer for civil aircraft. It was initially scheduled to enter service in May 2008, but production delays held up its commercial debut until late last year.
The sophisticated new plane suffered a series of mishaps last week - two fuel leaks, the battery fire, a wiring problem, brake computer glitch and cracked cockpit window - increasing scrutiny on a plane that has a list price of US$207 million (S$253 million).
