Boeing Co.'s proposal to get the 787 Dreamliner back in the skies, while comprehensive, will require extensive testing even if approved before regulators end the plane's grounding, the top U.S. aviation official said.
Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta on Wednesday wouldn't speculate when the agency might lift its Jan. 16 order effectively grounding Boeing's new model worldwide. Aviation agencies in other countries followed the FAA's lead.
"Once we approve a plan, then we have to go through the process of actually implementing the plan, which would involve a great deal of testing, a great deal of further analysis and re-engineering before those planes will be flying again," he said during testimony at a U.S. House hearing.