Boeing CEO James McNerney States 'Dreamliner Will Carry Passengers Sooner Rather Than Later' : News : TravelersToday

Could Boeing's Dreamliner actual be approved to return to the air?

Well, that all depends on the flight-test results and according to Boeing CEO James McNerney "the testing of the 787 Dreamliner's redesigned lithium-ion batteries will be completed within 'the next several days' and that the plane will carry passengers 'sooner rather than later,'" reported USA Today.

It is good news for the aircraft maker whose "jet of the future" has been grounded since Jan. 16, after two separate lithium-ion battery-related fires, one, aboard to Air Nippon Airways' 787, which was sitting on the tarmac at Boston's Logan International Airport, on Jan. 7 and the other a JAL flight that caused an emergency landing a week later.

"We have a high degree of confidence in the technical solution we are testing right now," McNerney said, according to USA Today.

However, the CEO still put in some PR spin, "It's a frustrating experience," McNerney said. "We've got this fabulous airplane. There is nothing about a battery that needed to be fixed that impacted the other things that make this a special plane," according to USA Today.

Boeing tested a Dreamliner model built for LOT Polish Airlines for two hours, but are required to do one more flight test before the Federal Aviation Administration can certify the plane as safe for passengers.

Though, each day the Dreamliner stays on the ground, Boeing loses massive amounts of money, McNerney commended the FAA and its administrator, Michael Huerta, as "champs" for working closely with his company to make sure the plane is safe.

"They have America's best interests in mind," McNerney said of regulators. "They have the safety of the flying public in mind, as I hope we do, which at this point means, let's get this thing back in service," reported USA Today.