Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner suffered a fresh setback after ANA Holdings Inc., the model’s biggest operator, said it discovered wiring defects in the fire-suppression system on three aircraft.
The fault, first detected on a 787 due to depart Tokyo’s Haneda airport Wednesday, would trigger the wrong extinguisher in the event of a blaze in one of the two engines, ANA said. Japan Airlines Co. recalled a 787 flying to Helsinki from Tokyo as a precaution, and Boeing said it was investigating the flaw.
“These things happen with a new aircraft,” said Robert Stallard, an analyst at RBC Capital in London with an “outperform” rating on Chicago-based Boeing. “When the airlines ground the plane or regulators start becoming involved, then it becomes something to watch out for.”
Boeing’s flagship jet, which made its commercial debut in 2011, is already under scrutiny after a fire in London last month that a probe linked to an emergency beacon. The 787 returned to service with ANA and Japan Airlines on June 1 after a global grounding spurred by two meltdowns in the lithium-ion batteries on the carriers’ jets.
