LONDON Dec 13 (Reuters) - Qatar Airways has been forced to
ground one of its three Boeing 787 Dreamliners after it
found the same problem that recently forced a United Airlines
Dreamliner to make an emergency landing, its CEO said.
"One of our Dreamliners has the same problem that the United
plane had and I am very disappointed in Boeing," Qatar Airways
Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said in an interview at London's
Heathrow airport on Thursday.
"We will demand compensation (from Boeing)... we are buying
planes from them to use them, not to put in a museum."
He said the plane, which has been grounded since Dec. 9,
would not fly until next week after a Boeing team had repaired
the fault.
Boeing said it was working to replace electrical components
so the jet could return to service, but said it was not yet
clear if the issue was identical to the one that affected the
United flight last week.
On Dec. 4, a brand new United Airlines Dreamliner
with 184 people aboard was forced to make an emergency landing
after one of six power generators failed.
Boeing said its technicians "would evaluate the findings in
Qatar to understand the root cause of this issue and take the
appropriate next steps."
Qatar Airways, which received its first Boeing 787
Dreamliner earlier this month, has placed orders for 60
Dreamliners - 30 firm and an option for 30 more. It currently
has a fleet of three 787 jets.
Al Baker said he was concerned that two airlines finding the
same fault may indicate the presence of a wider, systemic
problem with the U.S. made jets.
"Two aircraft having the same major problem so quickly is a
cause of concern," Al Baker said. "Boeing need to get their act
together because the delay of more than three years in delivery
forced us to slow our expansion plans."
The mechanical issues, while not uncommon for airlines, are
another headache for Boeing - a company still working to
overcome the negative perception of production problems that
delayed delivery of the 787 by 3-1/2 years.
The Doha-based carrier expects to take delivery of two more
Dreamliners on Dec. 19. It expects to have 10 of the lightweight
jets in service by the end of 2013, a reduction from the initial
plan for 30.
Al Baker said the airline industry faced a tough two years
with more "consolidations and collapses" likely but that
conditions would start improving in 2015.