TOKYO--The president of All Nippon Airways Co. (9202.TO) said
Friday that technical adjustments proposed by Boeing Co. (BA) for
battery problems with its grounded 787 Dreamliner aircraft appear
"quite advanced."
Still, ANA President and Chief Executive Shinichiro Ito, who
received a visit from the head of Boeing's commercial airlines unit
Wednesday, said the final decision on whether the adjustments would
be enough to get the order currently grounding all of the
cutting-edge aircraft worldwide is up to regulators in the U.S. and
Japan.
"My impression was that these plans were quite advanced," Mr.
Ito said a press conferences following the announcement of a change
of top management at the company. However, "I am not a technical
expert myself," he added.
Mr. Ito said he didn't know when the decision to lift the
grounding order would come, although he hoped it would be soon.
He also said ANA had no plans at the moment to change its
purchasing plans for 787 jets from Boeing. Nor has ANA yet asked
Boeing for compensation for losses incurred from the grounding.
The aircraft was grounded worldwide after a battery on a Japan
Airlines Co. (9201.TO) 787 caught fire when it was parked in Boston
on Jan. 7, and an ANA Dreamliner made an emerging landing in
western Japan as a battery overheated on Jan. 16.
ANA owns 17 Dreamliners, more than any other carrier
worldwide.
Write to Phred Dvorak at phred.dvorak@dowjones.com
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