Another day, another bad story about a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Qatar Airways said it’s grounded one of its three Dreamliners. What’s a possible worry is that Qatar Airways said it was the same mechanical problem that forced a United Airlines (UAL) plane to make an emergency landing earlier this month. Last week the Federal Aviation Administration ordered inspections of all Dreamliners.
Apparently not a man to hide his displeasure, Qatar Airways’ CEO said: “We will demand compensation (from Boeing)… we are buying planes from them to use them, not to put in a museum.”
Shares of Boeing Co. (BA) are down 1.8%, the biggest faller on the Dow Industrial Average (DIA).
The Dreamliner project has been tough sledding for Boeing. The plane was delayed for more than three years, leading to canceled orders and bad publicity. In fairness, the company is trying to reinvent commercial air travel — planes made with plastic, better cabins, better air, and so on– here’s a video of what the Dreamliner means for flyers:
And as the New York Times notes, the Dreamliner had more advanced orders than any commercial plane in history. Boeing will hope today’s news is just another bump in the proverbial road.
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