What’s Ailing the Dreamliner?

Boeing has seen its share of bad press lately. On the heels of the Asiana 777 crash landing (which is still being investigated) and yet another plane catching fire, Boeing stock plummeted 6% and the company is scrambling to resolve what could be another electrical problem.

As of now, we’re hearing the plane, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, was grounded for 8 hours before the fire erupted. There has been speculation that since the fire broke out in the passenger compartment, it may not have been caused by the battery. Boeing personnel are currently onsite at Heathrow to investigate.

If it isn’t the battery or human error, this signals a troubling trend for the Dreamliner, bringing into question whether Boeing rolled out the 787 too soon and whether the issues plaguing the aircraft can be resolved for good.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was grounded in January following two separate incidents involving the lithium-ion battery catching fire. The battery was redesigned, with the company taking a huge loss estimated at over $100 million. The planes were deemed safe for take-off in April.

Whether the aircraft will be grounded again will be decided once the cause of the latest fire has been determined. For now, we can only speculate and hope this is the last we hear of the Dreamliner’s ailments.

UPDATE: 4:04 p.m. (ET): A Thompson Airways 787 traveling from Manchester to Sanford, Florida has been diverted after experiencing technical issues.