Five of Boeing Co.’s new 787 Dreamliner commercial airplanes belonging to Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways have been grounded because of corrosion found in jet engines during testing.
The Dreamliner, a twin-aisle aircraft that seats 210 to 290 passengers, made its first passenger flight with All Nippon Airways in October. But it was more than three years late because of design problems and supplier issues.
The latest problem was caused by changes to a manufacturing process, Boeing said Monday. The changes caused some of the crown gears to corrode within the gear box, the company said. The flaw was discovered during testing by the engine’s maker, Rolls-Royce.
All Nippon Airways owns 11 Dreamliners. The airline "is removing the five airplanes with affected parts from active service until they can replace the gearboxes," Boeing spokesman Scott Lefeber said.