1 Boeing 787 Permitted To Fly From Fort Worth To Seattle

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with Boeing's battery problem.

Boeing's new fleet of Dreamliner 787 aircraft is grounded. But there is one in the air right now. The FAA cleared the plane's flight this morning from Fort Worth, Texas to Seattle. Engineers at the Boeing factory there will study the plane's lithium ion batteries and look for ways to reduce fire risk. Regulators around the world grounded the Dreamliner last month after batteries overheated on two planes. Only crew are aboard the 787 currently on its way to Seattle.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports that Boeing is considering changes to the plane's lithium ion batteries, pending a long-term fix. The company would increase the distance between cells in the batteries to reduce the potential spread of heat. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.