After having grounded the Boeing 787 aircraft for nearly four months in view of the safety concerns about the place expressed world over, Air India on Friday began initial test flights of its first Dreamliner, fitted with new battery packs, following a clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Air India had grounded all six of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on January 17, after some critical problems came to light in the fleet operated by other airlines around the globe.
However, upon completion of the battery improvement tasks by the Boeing team, Air India’s Dreamliner took to the skies from Mumbai.
The development came after the DGCA lifted the grounding order on the Boeing 787 aircraft, early this week.
The first test flight was destined to New Delhi, with a stop, back-track and take-off from Ahmedabad that formed part of the pilot training.
The first B-787 Dreamliner is being flown for test flights between Delhi and Amritsar. These test flights will also help the crew to meet the mandatory requirements for re-qualifying the crew.