Boeing Co. told airlines that some Dreamliners with General Electric Co. engines must bypass thunderstorms as a precautionary measure, the latest advisory on the 787 that was grounded globally earlier this year.
Dreamliners, powered by the GEnx engines, must avoid flying within 50 nautical miles (93 km) of thunderstorms to reduce chances of ice crystals forming and reducing the engine's thrust, the plane-maker said in an emailed statement on Saturday. Boeing has also alerted operators of 747-8s with GE engines, spokeswoman Yvonne Leach said.
The advisory prompted Japan Airlines Co., the world's second-largest Dreamliner operator, to switch to other aircraft on routes linking Delhi and Singapore with its Tokyo base. Boeing had trouble on the plane this year as melting of lithium-ion batteries in January grounded the global fleet of 787s, the longest grounding of a commercial aircraft by U.S. and Japanese regulators since jets were introduced in the 1950s.