Regulators made the call to ground the planes after two incidents thought to be battery related. On Wednesday, an All Nippon Airways flight in Japan made an emergency landing after the crew reported “smoke in the cockpit” and the battery-warning light went off. Last week, a Japan Airlines Dreamliner caught fire at Boston’s Logan Airport.
The emergency order was a result of the second incident “to address a potential battery-fire risk in the 787” and will “require operators to temporarily cease operations,” the FAA said in a statement.
“Before further flight, operators of U.S.-registered, Boeing 787 aircraft must demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the batteries are safe and in compliance,” the statement said.
This shouldn’t have a major effect on your air travel in the U.S. — United only flies six of the planes, which they first started flying in November.