B787 1st test flight in Japan since battery fire
ANA carries out first successful test flight of Boeing 787 in Japan since battery problem
President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes Ray Conner speaks during a press conference after a test flight of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Tokyo, Sunday, April 28, 2013. Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) conducted its first test flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Sunday since planes were grounded in mid-January after incidents with smoldering batteries occurred aboard two different planes, leading to hundreds of canceled flights and revenue losses. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's All Nippon Airways has successfully conducted its first test flight of the Boeing 787 aircraft since battery problems grounded the planes earlier this year.
Ray Conner, president of Boeing's consumer airline division, and ANA President Shinichiro Ito were aboard the flight Sunday.
The aircraft safely completed a two-hour flight before returning to Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
Batteries aboard two 787s failed less than two weeks apart in January, causing a fire aboard one plane and smoke in another. The root cause of those problems is still unknown.
Boeing has since developed and tested a revamped version of the battery system, with changes designed to prevent and contain a fire.
Japan's transport ministry approved Boeing's modifications Friday following similar steps by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
