DOHA: Qatar Airways said it would receive compensation from Boeing for the grounding of its 787 Dreamliners, as it returned the aircraft to service for the first time in three months.
“We will get compensation because we took airplanes we couldn’t fly. Boeing understands that,” CEO Akbar Al-Baker said before boarding the first flight from Dubai to Doha, accompanied by reporters.
Al-Baker criticized the decision by regulators to ground the 787 in January, a move which he described as an over-reaction to worldwide social media coverage generated by two battery incidents, as well as images of a Japanese 787 being evacuated.
“I still feel the aircraft should not have been grounded,” Al-Baker said. “I think there was reaction due to the unnecessary evacuation of a Japanese aircraft. People are too sensitive to what the social media says,” Al-Baker said.
Investigators say they do not yet know what caused two lithium-ion batteries to melt down. The Federal Aviation Administration recently approved a revised battery system designed to prevent the batteries overheating and contain any flammable materials inside a reinforced container.
“The grounding of the 787 has really impacted Qatar’s expansion severely. This is impacting my bottom line,” Al-Baker said, adding, “We were planning 15 new routes and now we have to settle for 10.”
All five 787 Dreamliners delivered to Qatar Airways before the grounding should be in service with modified batteries before the end of the month, the airline said.
Qatar Airways to get 787 compensation
