Japan’s two largest airlines, ANA and Japan Airlines, reported they would ground their fleets of Boeing 787 aircraft after one operated by All Nippon Airways made an emergency landing in western Japan.
All Nippon Airways said the plane’s eight crew and all 129 passengers had evacuated safely on inflatable slides. According to ANA, indications in the cockpit warned the crew of a battery malfunction and the pilot had noticed a strange smell. In the aftermath of the emergency landing, both ANA and JAL said they were grounding all their Dreamliners until satisfied they are safe to fly.
The incident comes on top of a slew of recent problems with Boeing’s new airliner. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported it is currently in the process of gathering information about the Boeing 787 emergency landing in Japan earlier today.
The incidents have caused particular concern in Japan, the Dreamliner’s biggest market, with All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines flying 24 of the 50 planes to have rolled off the production line so far. ANA was the first airline to operate the Boeing 787 on commercial services, with maiden flights in 2011.