Qatar Airways grounds one 787, cites "minor" technical problem

DUBAI (REUTERS) - Qatar Airways said on Friday it had taken one of its 787 Dreamliners out of service following what it described as a "minor" technical issue.

The airline and Boeing, the airplane's manufacturer, declined to give further details but industry sources said they were treating seriously reports that the aircraft had been grounded for days after a problem with an electrical panel.

According to web tracking service Flightaware, the aircraft, registered as A7-BCB, has not flown since Sunday, an unsually long downtime for a long-haul jet designed to save fuel bills.

Qatar Airways confirmed an aircraft had been taken out of service, but said no flights had been cancelled as a result.

"This is a minor issue for us, and not an incident, so we are not commenting," a spokesman said.

A spokesman for Boeing said, "We request that you channel all your enquiries to Qatar Airways."

Two industry sources said smoke had been reported near an electrical compartment while the jet was on the ground in Doha.

It was not clear whether passengers were on board at the time, but the aircraft's next flight was carried out by another model.

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