JAL, ANA considering voluntary safety measures for Boeing 787

All Nippon Airways Co (ANA) and Japan Airlines Co (JAL) are considering voluntary safety measures for their grounded Boeing 787 jets in addition to improvements planned by Boeing Co, industry sources said today.

ANA and JAL plan to enhance surveillance on battery voltage levels as the US Federal Aviation Administration is expected soon to lift the 787 grounding order issued after a series of battery-related incidents, the sources said.

Under the plan, battery voltage data will be sent from flying 787s to ground stations to secure prompt responses to any abnormal data.

ANA and JAL also plan to increase frequency of battery checkups and replacement.

The Japanese rivals are sharing information on the 787 Dreamliner to secure safe operations, the sources said.

ANA owns 17 Dreamliners and JAL seven.

Boeing-proposed improvements include covering each of the eight lithium-ion batteries on a 787 with insulating tape to upgrade their heat resistance.

The US FAA and the Japanese transport ministry are now in the final phase of screening the Boeing-proposed improvements, Japanese transport minister Akihiro Ota told a press conference Friday.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to end the grounding order as early as Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition yesterday.

After the FAA decision, Boeing will have to implement the improvements and conduct flight tests.

Commercial 787 operations by JAL and ANA are not expected to resume before June.