(CNN) — The eight airlines around the world that have the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in their fleets are set to resume commercial flights of the aircraft by early June.
Qatar Airways was the latest airline to confirm it would resume Dreamliner flights between Doha and Dubai this week and a longer service from Doha to London’s Heathrow starting May 15.
Ethiopian Airlines was the first to recommence passenger flights with a service from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday.
This week Japan authorized passenger airlines to resume flying the embattled aircraft in the country starting Friday, officials said.
Air Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, which account for 24 of the 50 Dreamliners delivered by Boeing thus far, earlier announced they would resume commercial 787 flights on June 1.
United Airlines — the only U.S. airline to take delivery of the 787 — has announced it would resume Dreamliner flights from May 31, initially serving the domestic Houston-Denver route.
Polish carrier LOT is planning to resume services June 5, while Air India has said in local reports it is planning to reintroduce its Dreamliners to the skies in May. Chilean airline LAN has announced it plans flights in June.
The resumption of services ends a worldwide grounding of the ultra modern Dreamliner of more than three months, after two incidents on jets operated by Japanese airlines called the battery systems into question.
Officials later pointed to faulty battery systems in recommending the planes be grounded.
Last week, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration cleared Boeing to make fixes to the problematic battery system. Boeing said it was deploying teams to help the airlines install the redesigned system.
In an online posting last Thursday, the FAA outlined the modifications necessary for the Dreamliner to fly again.
The Dreamliner’s use of lightweight composite materials to greatly improve fuel economy has made it a big seller in Asia and the Middle East, where long-haul flights account for much of an airline’s business.
CNN’s Yoko Wakatusi, Greg Botelho and Aaron Cooper contributed to this report.
The-CNN-Wire/Atlanta/+1-404-827-WIRE(9473)
™ & © 2013 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
