All Dreamliners Set To Return Flying

Two weeks ago, the FAA officially gave its approval to Boeing's redesigned battery system and lifted the grounding order on the 787 Dreamliner, and already, airlines are rushing to put their planes back into service. Since then, all eight airlines who fly the jet have announced schedules for resuming commercial service, two rushing to do so so fast that they are already flying passengers. Boeing has already dispatched teams to help airlines with the installation of the new system, and they say each fix takes approximately 5 days per aircraft. Boeing still expects to make good on its promise of delivering 60 aircraft by the end of the year.

Ethiopian was the first airline to restart flights, resuming service on a short route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday the 27th, just 8 days after the grounding was lifted. Since then, the airline has resumed service to Dubai and Frankfurt, with London Heathrow to follow. Lusaka, Harare, and Mumbai are also expected to see service within the month of May.

The two Japanese carriers, JAL and ANA, are expected to resume commercial flights starting on June 1st, after both airlines complete several airworthiness tests on their aircraft. JAL's service is expected to be primarily international, while ANA will focus on its domestic network.

LOT Polish, the airline that needed its 787s the most, will not resume flights until June 5th on it's Warsaw-Chicago route. Two days after that, Warsaw-Toronto will be launched by the airline on 787 equipment.

Qatar Airways has also already resumed flights, first operating them between Doha and Dubai from May 1st, before operating long haul routes to London Heathrow on May 15th and Frankfurt on May 26th. Munich will also see Qatari 787s starting May 20th, with Zurich, Switzerland expected to see service June 1st.

United Airlines will run domestic flights beginning May 20th between Houston and Chicago, May 21st between Houston and Denver, and May 24th between Houston and Los Angeles. The airline will resume its international service beginning June 10th between Houston and London Heathrow, and between Denver and Tokyo Narita.

LAN Airlines will resume flights from Santiago de Chile and Los Angeles via Lima, Peru beginning June 1st. This was the only route LAN was operating using the 787 before the grounding. Santiago de Chile to Lima will begin July 8th.

Air India is expected to resume their 787 commercial flights on May 22nd, between Delhi and Kolkata, and between Delhi and Bangladore on the 24th. The airline's international service will resume June 1st to London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle.