Boeing Dreamliner Update: Is Lithium-Ion Battery Nightmare Over? : News : TravelersToday

With the approval of Boeing's plan to fix the lithium-ion battery by the Federal Aviation Administration, the story is still far from being over.

This is just the beginning of the redesign process for the once stamped "plane of the future" to get back into the air.

"The certification plan is the first step in the process to evaluate the 787's return to flight and requires Boeing to conduct extensive testing and analysis to demonstrate compliance with the applicable safety regulations and special conditions," the FAA said in a statement released Tuesday, according to CNN.

Meaning, the only thing the blessing from the FAA does is give Boeing permission to operate test flights.

"This is no means the end of the story. These will be lengthy and thorough and the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will have to be 100 percent confident the fix is sufficient before it allows the aircraft to fly again commercially," said industry expert Tom Ballantyne, the Sydney-based chief correspondent for Orient Aviation, reported CNN.

This nightmare for Boeing and its Dreamliner started at the cusp of the new year, when in January the company's newest and most advanced commercial jetliner was grounded by worldwide regulators after two lithium-ion-battery-related fires damaged 787s in Boston and in Japan.

Once the resign is completed it still has to go back to the FAA for them to decide if the battery is safe and meets federal safety requirements, only then will it approve the Dreamliner's return to the skies.

"This comprehensive series of tests will show us whether the proposed battery improvements will work as designed," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, according to CNN. "We won't allow the plane to return to service unless we're satisfied that the new design ensures the safety of the aircraft and its passengers."