Ethiopian Airlines Becomes First Carrier To Fly Passengers On The Boeing Companies (BA) 787 Dreamliner After It Was Grounded Over Battery Problems

Ethiopian Airlines became the first carrier to get its Boeing 787 Dreamliner airborne with paying passengers after the aircraft, which has been plagued with battery problems, was cleared to resume service.

The Boeing Companies (NYSE: BA) 787 Dreamliner took to the skies a little more than three months after the storied plane was grounded around the world by the FAA for defects in its battery compartment.

Passengers on the airline's Flight 801 traveled on the Dreamliner from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday. On Sunday, Japan's All Nippon Airways (LON:ANA) conducted a test flight of the aircraft, with the company's president, Shinchiro Ito, on board, accompanied by a Boeing executive.

Boeing appears to be doing everything in its power to ensure a smooth transition for ANA as the airline was the first carrier to suffer from the infamous overheated batteries in January. The issue prompted a global grounding of approximately 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

The Chicago, Ill., aircraft manufacturer said it will resume deliveries to airline customers in early May after the installation of new battery setups.

The FAA approved Boeing’s not-so-quick fix to the battery issue, which required the manufacturer to install containment and venting systems for the main and auxiliary system batteries and to replace the batteries and their chargers with modified components.

Boeing said the modifications were taking about five days per aircraft.