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Boeing plan: Fix batteries to get Dreamliners flying again

Boeing plan includes redesign of lithium batteries as well as Dreamliner battery compartment to reduce risk of fires. Boeing plans to lay out its proposal to the FAA.  

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Koji Sasahara/AP/File
All Nippon Airways' Boeing 787 – the Dreamliner – parks on the tarmac at Haneda airport in Tokyo in January. Boeing is plans to propose to the FAA several fixes to its lithium ion batteries and battery compartment to get its 787s flying again.

Thirty-eight days after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded the Boeing 787, executives from the airplane maker are laying out their plan to get the Dreamliner back in the air.

Ray Connor, the head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes will lead a team to Washington D.C. where they'll present specific proposals they believe will prevent lithium-ion batteries in Dreamliners from overheating. (Read More: 787 Battery Safety 'Must Be Reconsidered': NTSB)

At the same time, sources say the Boeing plan also calls for modifications to the 787 battery compartment that will limit or contain any damage done by batteries that may overheat or catch fire.

The Boeing plan calls for ensuring the safety of Dreamliners with several design changes, according to sources. Boeing believes the proposed remedies will add another level of prevention of battery fires and protecting the plane in case the lithium-ion batteries get too hot. (Read More: Boeing Close to Battery Fix; Union Talks Resume)

Among the 787 solutions the company will propose:

* Redesigning lithium-ion batteries to insulate the cells and prevent them from overheating.

* Putting the batteries in a case designed to keep cells that may overheat from burning components or parts of the Dreamliner outside the compartment.

* Venting battery compartments so any fumes caused by batteries that overheat will flow outside the plane.

* Instituting new rules requiring Dreamliner crews to closely monitor the battery and power units for potential problems.

For Michael Huerta, Administrator of the FAA, the proposal to solve the Dreamliner issues and the decision to lift the grounding add even more scrutiny of the agency.

After two fires on Dreamliners in January, critics raised questions about the FAA certification of the 787. In addition, the National Transportation Safety Board initiated a review of the 787 certification as part of its investigation into the Dreamliner fires.

How quickly will the FAA rule on Boeing's proposed Dreamliner solutions? (Read More: ANA Investors Look Past Boeing Dreamliner's Woes)

Neither Boeing nor the FAA will comment on Friday's meeting or predict when the Dreamliner might fly again. However, the close contact between Boeing and the FAA suggests the agency will not take long to make a decision.

Executives with airlines that have ordered the Dreamliner say Boeing is hoping to make the modifications and have the 787 flying by late March or early April.

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