Even as 787 Dreamliners took to the skies again in Japan and Qatar, the Government of India said on Thursday that Boeing had agreed to compensate Air India for the loses it suffered after the aircraft was grounded following battery overheat in two aircraft in mid-January.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation K.C. Venugopal said this in the Rajya Sabha. He, however, did not spell out the quantum, saying it could not be disclosed under the purchase agreement.
Mr. Venugopal said a warranty clause in the agreement specified that Boeing would not be liable for any loss of use, revenue or profit due to any fault in the carbon composite aircraft. However, when the agreement was signed, the situation of grounding the entire fleet, especially for a long period, was not foreseen. “The issue of compensation for the loss incurred by Air India due to the grounding of the B-787s was taken up with Boeing.”
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways has resumed its Dreamliner services, flying a Boeing 787 from Doha to Dubai on Thursday. Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker was the first passenger to board the aircraft. He was joined by Jeffrey Johnson, president, Boeing (Middle East), and Boeing’s Deputy Fleet Chief David Silver, the company said in a statement here.
Japan Airlines Co. has conducted its first test-flight of the fuel-efficient aircraft. All Nippon Airways Co., another Japanese carrier with a Dreamliner fleet, started test-flights on April 28 after the U.S. regulators approved Boeing’s modified battery system.
Japan Airlines, known as JAL, said its Dreamliner took off from the Haneda airport in Tokyo early on Thursday on a two-hour flight over the north-eastern region.
