Boeing asks FAA to allow Dreamliner test flights

Boeing Co has asked the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for permission to conduct test flights of its 787 Dreamliner, suggesting the company is making progress in finding a solution to the battery problems that grounded the entire 787 fleet last month. The FAA said it is evaluating Boeing's request.

Meanwhile, Japanese officials probing the emergency landing of a Dreamliner said its lithium-ion battery was damaged by a build up of heat that resulted in uncontrollably high temperatures. “The battery was destroyed in a process called thermal runaway, in which the heat builds up to the point where it becomes uncontrollable,” said a Japan Transport Safety Board official.