Boeing CEO Ray Conner has met with Japan’s transport minister and other officials in Tokyo to explain his company’s proposal for resolving problems with the 787 Dreamliner’s lithium-ion batteries that have kept the aircraft grounded for over a month.
Boeing said Conner met Thursday with Akihiro Ota, who heads the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and with the director general of the Civil Aviation Bureau, to explain the proposed solution to the problem of the batteries overheating.
Connor was also due to meet with All Nippon Airways, Boeing’s launch customer with 17 of the 787s, and with Japan Airlines, which has seven.
Boeing’s plan, presented to U.S. regulators last week, calls for revamping the batteries to prevent potential short-circuiting from spreading from any one battery cell to others.