Qatar Airways to Ground Boeing 787S, Effective Today 17 January 2013

Doha, January 17 (QNA) -Following instructions by both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States and Qatar s Civil Aviation Authority, Qatar Airways is implementing the Airworthiness Directive issued by the FAA for all operators of the Boeing 787 to ground the aircraft, effective today 17 January 2013. Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: "I previously stated that Qatar Airways will only stop operating our Dreamliners if we receive such an instruction from regulators. "Safety remains the number one priority for Qatar Airways. We ensure all our aircraft meet the most stringent safety standards and this will not be compromised in any way. "In light of recent events surrounding the Boeing 787 Dreamliner worldwide, we are actively working with Boeing and the regulators to restore full customer confidence in the 787. "Qatar Airways will resume 787 operations when we are clear that the aircraft meets the full requirements of the Airworthiness Directive and our standards which assure the safety of our passengers and crew at all times. So we are not flying the aircraft until and only such a time this is achieved", Akbar Al Baker said in a statement issued here Thursday. "Qatar Airways would like to express our sincere apologies to passengers booked on our 787 flights, but we are sure they will understand our concerns in view of recent events with other 787 operators around the world. Our staffs are assisting all affected passengers to be accommodated on other flights to get them to their final destination with minimum inconvenience," he added. It is worth to mention that Qatar Airways currently has five Boeing 787-8 aircraft in its fleet. In a related development, in New Delhi, and owing to safety concerns, the Indian aviation authorities have ordered Air India to ground its fleet of six Boeing 787 aircraft Thursday after the jets were forced to halt flights in Japan and the U.S for the same reason. "Air India has temporarily ceased operation of its Dreamliners," Air India spokesman K.Swaminathan said. The action by India comes after Boeing 787s were grounded in Japan and the U.S. after an emergency landing in western Japan highlighted a battery fire risk in the aircraft. It is noted that Air India has ordered a total of 27 Dreamliners. (QNA)